In a major relief to the state’s Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has decided to appoint “Chief Minister Field Officers” as the nodal officer for NRIs to ensure redressal of their grievances in a prompt and time-bound manner.
“After the formation of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government, 23 posts of Chief Minister Field Officer were created after abolishing equal number of posts of Assistant Commissioner (Grievances),” said the Chief Minister.
He asserted that the move was aimed at ensuring that grievances of residents of the state were redressed at district level by providing a well-structured and empowered Grievance Redressal System to them.
In another significant decision, the State Government has now decided to appoint Chief Minister Field Officers as Nodal Officers for NRIs to ensure redressal of their grievances, he added. The Chief Minister envisioned that these officers will prove to be an ideal nodal officer for the NRIs as they will be effectively able to coordinate across Departments and Districts besides having a direct communication with CM Office.
He expressed hope that this, out of the box initiative of the State Government, will prove a boon for the Punjabis settled abroad. Now, NRIs will get a single point contact to get all their problems resolved in a smooth and hassle free manner, he added.
Mann emphasized that the sole aim of evolving this entire mechanism is to ensure quick disposal of services to the NRIs.
“The State Government is committed to ensure that the NRI brethren, who have proved their mettle across the globe, do not face any sort of problem back at home. The NRIs have already carved a niche for them through their sheer hard work and dedication,” he said, adding that the State Government will make all out efforts to ensure that their complaints, if any, are redressed in a time bound and prompt manner.
CM ASKS MILKFED TO TAP POTENTIAL OVERSEAS AND OTHER STATES
To strengthen the state’s cooperative sector, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday directed the state milk cooperative — Milkfed — to set up state-of-the-art procurement infrastructure in villages for collecting and supplying best quality milk. The Chief Minister, chairing Milkfed’s review meeting, asserted that upgradation of the procurement infrastructure is the need of hour to ensure best quality of milk is collected from villages and then supplied to consumers after processing.
Mann envisioned that Milkfed will usher the brand ‘Verka’ to new horizons, where sole mantra shall be inclusive growth of all. “Milkfed must ensure that it covers all the potential villages falling in Punjab and procure the maximum quantity of raw milk from there,” he said.
At the same time, the Chief Minister directed the Milkfed to further launch an aggressive marketing campaign to capture sizeable chunk of consumer market not only in the State but across the country and even abroad. “This leading state cooperative has a perceptible presence in the domestic market as Verka is a household name in the region,” he said. Mann said that Verka products like Ghee, Milk, Butter, Lassi, Kheer, Curd, Ice-Cream, Sweets, and others have already created a niche for themselves in the nationwide market which could further be widened with concerted efforts.
The Chief Minister also asked Milkfed to double its turnover from Rs 4,869 crores in 2021-2022 to Rs 10,000 crores by 2026-2027. He assured fulsome support and cooperation to Milkfed for this noble cause.