Chandigarh, Dec 20 The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday gave nod to convene the special session of the state Assembly on December 30 for discussing amendments to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by replacing it with G RAM G Bill 2025, blaming the Centre for killing the basic spirit of the scheme.
The Cabinet opined that the amendments “are not only aimed at renaming the scheme but also for killing the basic spirit of the scheme." It also decided to amend the Punjab Abadi Deh (Record of Rights) Act, 2021, to reduce the time limit for filing objections and appeals under the ‘Mera Ghar Mere Naam’ scheme.
A spokesperson for the Chief Minister’s Office said the Cabinet also gave consent to amend Section 11 of the Punjab Abadi Deh (Record of Rights) Act, 2021, to replace the specific time periods with “within time notified by the government”, with the intention of reducing the period for filing objections and their disposal from the existing 90 and 60 days respectively to 30 days each.
Similarly, it was decided to amend Section 12(4) of the Act to reduce the period for disposal of appeals from 60 days to 30 days. This step will further speed up the process of resolving objections and appeals, benefiting the public significantly.
In a significant move to boost industrial growth and improve the financial health of businesses in the state, the Cabinet also approved a landmark amendment to the Industrial and Business Development Policy (IBDP) of 2022, which replaces the condition of providing bank guarantees for availing fiscal incentives.
The decision follows numerous representations from industry associations highlighting that the existing bank guarantee requirements were blocking substantial amounts of working capital. This liquidity crunch was identified as a major hurdle, limiting the funds available for industrial expansion, research and development, and job creation.
The Cabinet also gave go ahead to the re-distribution of 253 acres of Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant in Bathinda, transferred to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Cabinet also gave its concurrence to amend Rule 3 and 16 (1) of the Punjab Management and Transfer of Municipal Properties Rules, 2021, for modification of payment schedule for high-value properties, defined herein as “Chunk Sites”, to be sold or transferred by the municipalities and urban local bodies. This will enhance investments competitive bidding, and attract significant investments.
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