Only a day after the swearing-in, Congress-led Punjab Government is going full throttle.
Capt Amarinder Singh-led Government is all set to hold its first Cabinet meeting on Saturday for which 150-point agenda, including farm loan waiver, state finances, among other issues, has been prepared.
The newly-appointed Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh had also called a meeting of senior officers for discussing the Government agenda.
On the crucial issue of Satluj-Yamuna link (SYl) canal, the Government has get down to business on its second day. Irrigation Minister Rana Gurjit Singh, soon after assuming the charge of his office, held a meeting with the newly-appointed Advocate-General Alok Nanda to discuss the issue.
Other than Rana Gurjit, Health Minister Brahm Mohindra, local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Minister of State (independent charge) for PWD and Social Security Razia Sultana also assumed the charge, setting priorities of their respective departments.
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder has also convened a meeting of governance reforms on March 20, Monday wherein the significant issues like wheat procurement, pension disbursal, condition of de-addiction centres, Seva Kendra will be taken up for discussion.
Besides, many noteworthy appointments were also made by the Government, including that of retired IAS officer Suresh Kumar as the Chief Principal Secretary to Punjab Chief Minister.
Senior IPS officer BK Uppal has also been posted as Chief Director of Punjab Vigilance Bureau against the vacant post on administrative grounds. He was serving as the ADGP (HRD).
Stamping the continuation of DGP Suresh Arora, State Home Secretary Nirmaljit Singh Kalsi also shot off a communiqué to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs that it cannot spare Arora for central deputation. Arora was cleared for DG-CRPF. Now, he has expressed his willingness for it also.
Other than that, two senior IPS officers-DGP law and Order Hardeep Singh Shillon and ADGP (Administration) Gaurav Yadav have been given additional charge of litigation Wing and Welfare and HRD Wing, respectively. Earlier, both the charges were with Uppal.
COMMITTEE TO REVIEW SECURITY
Punjab DGP Suresh Arora on Friday constituted a State-level Review Committee (SlRC) under the chairmanship of DGP (law and Order) Hardeep Singh Dhillon to review the security provided by the State police to various protectees.
Committee would comprise ADGP Intelligence Dinkar Gupta, ADGP Security BK Bawa as Member Secretary and IGP (Special Protection Unit) Pramod Ban.
"The committee would carry out a comprehensive security review of the security provided to constitutional or public functionaries, officers as well as private individuals, and submit its report to the DGP with specific recommendations regarding each individual (category-wise) by March 24," said a spokesperson.
GOVT CHAlKING OUT STRATEGY ON SYl
Making it clear that the Congress government is "greatly concerned" over the contentious issue SYl canal, the state Irrigation Minister Rana Gurjit Singh held a meeting with the state Advocate-General Alok Nanda to discuss the same.
"Our priority is on developing a well-planned strategy on SYl to safeguard the state's water rights," he said after assuming the charge of his office.
At the same time, he blamed the SAD-BJP government to fight a strong legal battle on SYl. "I have called Atul Nanda to discuss the issue and frame a well-planned strategy to present Punjab case during next hearing of the case in Supreme Court on March 28," said Rana Gurjit.
Refusing to disclose any further, Nanda said: "The Chief Minister is greatly concerned regarding the SYl and that was why the Minister has called me…the government will come out with a strategy for dealing with the issue."
While the Apex Court has asked Punjab to construct SYl canal, the state government, on the other hand, has all along been leading that it has no water to share.