Led by CM, Punjab Cabinet Gives nod to amend the Punjab Abadi Deh (Record of Rights) Act, 2021
Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): The Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday gave nod 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 decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of the Council of Ministers held here today under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that 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 & Business Development Policy (IBDP) 2022, which replaces the condition of providing a Bank Guarantees (BG) for availing fiscal incentives under IBDP-2022.
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.
Under the recent amendment, for availing the incentive of Exemption of Stamp Duty, the condition of Bank Guarantee shall be replaced with the First Charge valid up to the date of commencement of commercial production, on the property for which the incentive has been availed. Further, for the incentive of CLU/EDC Exemption, a robust mechanism has been introduced in place of Bank Guarantee.
The amendment will be applicable from the effective date of the policy ie from 17/10/2022. The Cabinet also gave go ahead to re-distribution of 253 Acre of land Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant, Bathinda transferred to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Now 10 acre of land will be used for Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) installation (Transfer to PSPCL), 10 Acres (For New Bus Stand) shall be retained by BDA and be given to Transport Department who will transfer cost of land to BDA at price fixed by Deputy Commissioner Bathinda. Remaining 20 Acres land shall be retained by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for residential/Commercial purposes.
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 in urban and development Further, it shall increase Market Competition by significantly increasing the pool of eligible bidders and intensify competition during the bidding process.
The Cabinet also gave nod to convene special session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha on December 30, 2025 for discussing the amendments being proposed by the Union government on MGNREGA.
The Cabinet opined that the amendments are not only aimed at renaming the scheme but for killing the basic spirit of the scheme.