Punjab Vidhan Sabha passes seven bills during especially convened one-day session
The Punjab Vidhan Sabha today unanimously passed seven bills
during a specially convened one day session amidst the ongoing Corona pandemic.
During the session chaired by Speaker Punjab Vidhan sabha
Rana KP Singh, the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh with his
several Cabinet colleagues were also present.
During the session, the assembly passed the legislation for
setting up the Sri Guru Teg Bahadur University of Law at Tarn Taran to commemorate
the 400th Birth Anniversary of the Ninth Sikh Guru Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. The
bill Sri Guru Teg Bahadur State University of Law, Punjab Bill, 2020 was
presented by Higher Education Minister Mr. Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa “to establish and incorporate a State
University for the development and advancement of legal education, for the
purposes of imparting specialized and systematic instruction, training and
research in the field of law and for the matters connected therewith or
incidental thereto. The objects of the University would be to evolve and impart
comprehensive legal education at all levels, to organize advanced studies and
promote research in all branches of law, as well as to disseminate legal
knowledge and legal processes and their role in national development by
organizing lectures, seminars, symposia, webinars, workshops, and conferences.
It would also seek to promote cultural, legal and ethical values with a view to
promote and foster the rule of law, the objectives enshrined in the
Constitution of India and to promote legal awareness in the community for
achieving social and economic justice.
Other objectives of the University would be: to improve the
ability with a view to analyze and present for the benefit of the public,
contemporary issues of public concern and their legal implications; to liaison
with institutions of higher learning and research in India and abroad; to
publish periodicals, treatises, study books, reports, journals and other the literature on all subjects relating to law; to hold examinations and confer
degrees and other academic distinctions; to undertake study and training
projects relating to law, legislation and judicial institutions; and to do all
such things as are incidental, necessary or conducive to the attainment of all
or any of the objectives of the University.
The assembly also unanimously approved the Punjab Good
Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Amendment Bill, 2020. Presenting the
bill Higher Education Minister Mr. Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said that the legislation would pave the way for extending the period of parole in situation
of disasters, epidemics, and extreme emergencies. The rationale behind bringing
the legislation was to enable the Jail Department to take measures to decongest
jails, besides ensuring that the jails remain Covid-19 free, as readmitting the
inmates released on parole/interim bail, who reside in different parts of the state
and outside, would expose other inmates to the risk of contracting Covid-19.
Notably, the Punjab Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 1962 did
not have any provision through which parole of prisoners could be extended from
16 weeks and the condition of parole being availed on a quarterly basis could be
waived in unprecedented situations of disasters and epidemics.
The assembly also passed the Punjab Fiscal Responsibility
and Budget Management (Second Amendment) Bill 2020. Presenting the bill Finance
Minister Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal said that in view of the serious negative
impact of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic on the resources of State
Governments, the Government of India has decided to provide relaxation in
borrowing limits by increasing an additional Borrowing Limit of up to 2.0 percent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for the year 2020-2021 subject to the implementation of specific State Level Reforms. He said that the motive was to
strengthen resources in the hands of State Governments. The State of Punjab has
also been allowed an additional borrowing of 2.0 percent of Gross State
Domestic Product (GSDP) i.e. Rs. 12130.00 crore in 2020-21 over and above its
Net borrowing ceiling, which is 3% of GSDP. However, the relaxation in
borrowing limits is partly unconditional to the extent of 0.5 percent and the remaining 1.5 percent is conditional to the implementation of following
reforms Implementation of One Nation One Ration Card System, Ease of doing
business reform, Urban Local body/utility reforms; and Power Sector reforms. He
said that bill would envisage in additional borrowing of Rs. 12130.00 crore as
mentioned above, over and above 3% of GSDP Net borrowing ceiling of the State
of Punjab permissible under FRBM Act, 2003), during the Financial Year 2020-21.
The Punjab assembly also gave nod to The Punjab Clinical
Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Bill 2020. Presenting the bill
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mr. Balbir Singh Sidhu said that as there was
no legislation at present in the State of Punjab to register or regulate
private clinical establishments, the aim of this enactment was to bring the
clinical establishments under a regulatory mechanism so as to further ensure
transparency in their functioning. It also seeks to improve quality public
healthcare, prevent overcharging of patients, and to lay down norms, terms of
physical standards, medical standards, staff norms, record maintenance,
reporting etc. The legislation would provide for such establishments to support
the state during the natural disasters, calamities as well as pandemics and
epidemics.
The assembly also approved The Contract Labour (Regulation
and Abolition) (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020. Presenting the bill Punjab Labour
Minister Mr. Balbir Singh Sidhu said that the necessary amendment envisages
raising the number of workers for attracting the provisions of sub-clause (a)
and (b) of subsection (4) of section 1 of the Contract Labour (Regulation and
Abolition) Act, 1970, from 20 to 50.
The Assembly also gave green signal to The Industrial
Disputes (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020. Presenting the bill Labour Minister Mr
Balbir Singh Sidhu said that the bill provides for enhancement of the threshold
limit for applicability of Chapter V-B from the present limit of 100 to 300
workers. Apart from this, now workers will be eligible for 3 months of extra
wages on retrenchments or on the closure of establishments. This move will go a
long way in further improving the process of ease of doing business.
Meanwhile, the assembly also passed The Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020. Presenting the bill Finance Minister Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal said that the bill seeks to provide changes so as to make the levy and collection of taxes under the GST effective and easier for the taxpayers. He said that these composition levies,eligibility and conditions for taking Input Tax credit, cancellation of registration, revocation of cancellation of registration, tax invoice, tax deduction at source, penalty and punishment for certain offenses and transitional arrangements for input Tax Credit.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment