The Punjab Cabinet on Monday gave in-principle approval to amend the Punjab Village Common Land (Regulation) Rules, 1964, to create land banks in rural areas to boost industrial development.
“It was, however, decided to further fine-tune the amendments to ensure that the panchayats get their dues, with all decisions to be taken on case-to-case basis, keeping their interests in view,” said an official statement. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
The statement said the Cabinet had cleared the proposal of the Rural Development and Panchayat Department for insertion of Rule 12-B in the “Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Rules, 1964” to provide special provision for transfer of “Shamlat lands” (consolidation of land holdings for common use) for development of industrial infrastructure projects.
The underlying objective is to facilitate the “gram panchayats” to promote development of villages by unlocking the value of such land and transfer it for industrial projects to the Industry department and the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC), said the statement.
The Cabinet also approved various amendments to the Factories Act, 1948, Industrial Disputes Act 1947 and Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970. It also cleared an ordinance to bring in the Punjab Right to Business Act 2019 and Punjab Right to Business Rules 2019, aimed at promoting ease of doing business for the newly incorporated Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs),” said the statement.
The Cabinet also decided to increase its share in the new pension scheme, in line with the decision of the government of India, with effect from April 1, 2019. It approved the Punjab Goods and Services Tax ordinance, 2019, to make amendments in accordance with those made to the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, of which it was a replica.
