The Hindu : Other States / Punjab News : Budget session of Punjab Assembly from March 18

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Wednesday, Mar 02, 2005

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Budget session of Punjab Assembly from March 18

CHANDIGARH, MARCH 1. The budget session of the Punjab Assembly will be held from March 18 to April 8. The decision to this effect was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here today. An official spokesman said the budget for 2005-06 will be presented on March 22.

The Council of Ministers also approved the proposal for setting up of the Guru Angad Deb Veterinary and Animal sciences University.

The spokesman said the proposed University will start functioning from the new academic session in July.

The Council of Ministers constituted a group of Ministers to examine and recommend the rules for re-deployment of surplus employees of the Punjab Government.

The rules would envisage for identification of surplus employees, declaration/notification of surplus employees, registration of surplus employees, reporting of vacancies from the surplus pool, withdrawal of vacancies from the surplus pool, re-deployment of surplus employees, determination of placement, re-adjustment of re-deployed surplus employees, fixation of pay and seniority of the employees re-deployed from the surplus pool, training to surplus employees, re-transfer of former surplus employees to his/her original service and winding up of a surplus pool.

The Council of Ministers also gave approval for the revival of 13 posts of Employment Officers (General) filled as a one time measure deemed to have been abolished as per the decision of the cabinet sub committee on Fiscal Management.

`Measures to improve economy'

Punjab Finance Minister Surinder Singla today said the State Government has taken definite measures to improve the State's economy and increase rate of growth.

He said the growth rate of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) during 2003-04 was 5.30 per cent as compared to 1.38 per cent in 2002-03. The revenue deficit has come down to 29.35 per cent in 2003-04 from 33.91 per cent in 2001-02. Gross fiscal deficit had also decreased from 7.05 per cent in 2001-02 to 6.14 per cent in 2003-04.

He said the State's own tax revenue had increased at the rate of 13.8 per cent per annum during the last three years.

Mr Singla said that the state Government has taken adequate steps aiming at ensuring higher utilisation of plan resources. These include power sector reforms, infrastructural development and promotion through Punjab State Infrastructural Board (PIDB) and mobilisation of additional resources for social security and welfare.

Referring to the infrastructural development in the State, Mr Singla said that over Rs 800 crore has been invested on roads and bridges during the years from 2002 to 2004. During the years from 2005 to 2007 a number of new initiatives, including 18 road corridors, 12 flyovers, three bus stands at Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana, 10 bus stations at sub division level, 10 industrial training institutes, three polytechnics in Gurdaspur, Sangrur and Jalandhar and two district level Government hospitals at Amritsar and Bathinda have been planned.

The successful completion of these works would involve an investment of over Rs 2000 crore which the Government hopes to leverage through PIDB. --UNI

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Budget session of Punjab Assembly from March 18