Making the most of its powers, the SAD-BJP-led Punjab Government is all set to dole out more poll sops on Monday by passing certain significant Bills in the specially-convened one-day Vidhan Sabha session.
The State Government is expected to bring in ordinances for implementing a slew of poll-centric sops including regularising 30,000 contractual employees, in the absence of the entire Opposition.
The Government summoned the Assembly session to give legislative backing to its earlier decisions after the State Governor VP Singh Badnore, reportedly, conveyed that he would be more comfortable in giving assent to the legislation if the Assembly passed the ordinances in the form of a Bill, said the sources.
The Government will hold the one-day session in the absence of entire Opposition legislators, including 42 from the Congress party and three independents, who have resigned recently in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling ordering status quo on the Sutlej Yamuna link (SYl) canal project.
Besides, six SAD legislators, who have switched over to the Congress or resigned from the Assembly after denial of ticket, will not attend the proceedings.
The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) sources maintained that these employees were hired on contract, ad-hoc, daily wages, temporary or work charge basis by the education, health, medical education and local government departments. If the regularisation is done, it will benefit the employees, they added.
The decision to call a special session has been taken a month after the government held a day-long emergency session on November 16 to legally and politically counter the Apex Court verdict's fall-out on the inter-State water dispute.
Sources said that the legislations on the anvil during the session included the ordinance giving legal sanctity to regularising 30,000 employees, Punjab Regulation of Fees of Unaided Education Institutions Ordinance, 2016, the ordinance appointing senior vice-chairmen in different boards and corporations, and the Punjab School Education Board Act, 1969, to be amended through promulgation of Punjab School Education Board (Amendment) ordinance, 2016, for the appointments of its chairman from the IAS or Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officers.
Before the session, which will start in the afternoon, a Punjab Cabinet meeting has been convened.