Punjab Cabinet approves Rs 46 cr for cooperative sugar mills

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Cabinet today approved the payment of Rs 46 crore to the liquidators of the Jagraon and Budladha Cooperative Sugar Mills to defray all the liabilities of these mills.

In a meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the Cabinet also gave approval to the proposed Voluntary Retirement Scheme ( VRS) for permanent employees of the closed cooperative sugar mills of Patiala, TarnTarn, Faridkot, Jagraon and Zira.

Regarding the revival of these four cooperative sugar mills along with three distilleries at Gurdaspur, Nakodar and Nawan Shahr, the Cabinet also approved the scheme on a Build, Own, Operate & Transfer (BOOT) basis, to be pursued by the Department of Cooperation through Sugarfed and its constituent Cooperative Sugar Mills with the help of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories.

The Punjab Cabinet also approved the establishment of a State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. This commission will comprise one chairperson and six members.

The Cabinet has also reduced VAT on truck and bus body fabrication from 12.5 per cent to 5 per cent.

The purchase tax on wheat and paddy has also been raised from 4 to 5 per cent by the Cabinet.

In another significant decision, Cabinet also gave its nod for the direct recruitment of medical officers (general), medical officers (specialists), medical officers (dental) and homeopathic officers in the Punjab Health department through a selection committee under the chairmanship of a retired Director of the PGI.

In addition, the Cabinet gave approval for implementation of a city transport project in Amritsar and Ludhiana. The fare under this city bus service ( CBS) would be Rs 10 up to 5 km, Rs 15 up from 5 km to 10 km, Rs 20 from to 10 km to 15 km and Rs 1 per km for the additional distance above 15 km in AC buses.