Chandigarh, February 16: The state Cabinet here today okayed the creation of a separate cadre of teachers for the border districts of Pathankot, Amritsar, Fazilka, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur.
The Cabinet approved 19 draft service rules for various cadres in the School Education Department. It also decided that the employees appointed in the border cadre would have their separate promotion channels.
It was also decided to set up a Cabinet sub-committee to oversee the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act and examine the Education Department’s suggestions on revamping the education system in government schools. The sub-committee, comprising Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, Higher Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary, Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, will submit its report in 15 days.
The Cabinet took a slew of decisions aimed at improving the state’s fiscal health, including a new outdoor advertising policy for municipal areas and a new tourism policy.
During the meeting, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and all Cabinet Ministers decided to pay their own income tax, which is currently costing the exchequer Rs 11.08 crore per year. The CM said the final decision on MLAs’ self-payment of income tax would be taken after receiving their feedback on the proposal.
Under the outdoor advertisement policy, the Local Bodies Department aims to raise its revenue from Rs 20 crore (in 184 cities/towns) to Rs 200 crore. The Punjab Municipal Outdoor Advertisement Policy-2018 replaces the Punjab Outdoor Advertisement Policy-2012. The advertising rights would be awarded through e-tendering.
After the meeting, Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu announced the approval of the new draft of the Punjab State Tourism Policy-2018, aimed at doubling the annual tourist footfall and establishing the state as a world-class tourist destination in the next five years.
Replacing the policy of 2003, the new one is aimed at “mopping up revenue through responsible and sustainable development of sensitive tourism resources through a series of initiatives, including information dissemination and optimal use of electronic techniques, including social media.”
News Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com
