Punjab grants BC status to Jats, Jat Sikhs - Flays centre on step-motherly treatment
Wednesday, 05/03/2014
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=96257&boxid=62771&uid=&dat=2014-03-05
Chandigarh : In a bid to foil the attempt of former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to take credit of the Centre’s decision, the Punjab Council of Ministers on Tuesday night strongly condemned the decision of the Union government to exclude the Jats and Jat Sikhs of Punjab from the benefits of reservation extended to these communities in other states. To undo the damage, the Cabinet decided to declare Jats and Jat Sikhs of Punjab as ‘backward classes (BC).’
The Cabinet, which urgently met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here described the decision of the Central government as ‘totally unjustified and step-motherly.’ It also called it as another painful link in the long series of injustice and discrimination against the state.
Extending the reservation, the Cabinet decided that economically weaker persons from among the general categories will also get benefits of quota.
These reservations will be in addition to the reservations already in place and will not affect the existing quota of section.
The Cabinet also decided to set up a commission to work out the modalities for the implementation of the Cabinet’s decisions.
The Cabinet approved supplementary grants amounting to Rs 5,101.68 crore for the year 2013-14 to be presented before the state Assembly during the ongoing budget session. The Cabinet also cleared the proposal for seeking Vote-on-Account for four months from April 1 to July 31, 2014 for Rs 25,292.96 crore.
In another significant decision, the Cabinet approved to fill 1,230 vacant post of patwaris, of which 600 would be recruited in the current year and the remaining within next two years.
The Cabinet decided to enhance the promotion quota from patwari to kanungos from existing 85 per cent to 100 per cent. Likewise, the Cabinet also gave nod to earmark three per cent quota for the promotion of assistants working in the offices of Deputy Commissioners to Naib Tehsildars by reducing the direct recruitment quota from current 50 per cent to 47 per cent.
The Cabinet okayed to create 20 new posts of tehsildars to ensure prompt deliverance of better services to the people.
