Punjab Newspaper

The Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today announced the setting up of NRI Police Stations in six districts of Punjab, namely Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Moga, Nawanshahr and Ludhiana. All Police Stations will have web-enabled Hot Line.
These police stations will run have jurisdiction on the entire district. S.P. NRI Affairs will be In charge in these six districts. He will report to D.I.G. NRI Affairs. In other districts, S.P Headquarter will handle NRI cases.
Addressing a gathering of Punjabi Non-Resident Indians at the Punjabi NRI Sammelan here this afternoon, Mr. Badal also declared that an Empowered Committee headed by the state Chief Secretary would be set up for expeditious clearances to NRI projects in the state. Commissioner NRI Affairs and the Administrative Secretary of the concerned departments would be the members of the Empowered Committee.
Continuing his series of momentous announcements, the Chief Minister declared that another high Powered Committee, with NRI representatives also as members, will be constituted to look after the problems and difficulties faced by the Punjabi diaspora.
He also disclosed that in future, all revenue records will be put on website. NRIs can get details of their properties anywhere in the world with the click of button.
In another major announcement, Mr. Badal disclosed that the state government had decided to set up special fast track court. The Hon’ble High Court has been approached. The number of such courts could be subsequently increased depending on the need. The Deputy Commissioners will prepare lists of NRI cases for their respective district and the existing backlog will be cleared within six months.
The Chief Minister also announced the setting up of a High Powered Committee headed by the DGP to review cases of NRIs who have been declared Proclaimed Offenders or Absconders. DIGs of the concerned range and SSPs of the concerned Districts will send their recommendations to the Committee. All the existing 1300 such cases will be processed within two months.
The Chief Minister further said that problems regarding Visa faced by NRIs will be taken up with the Government of India.
Among the other important decisions, the state government would prepare a complete directory with NRI database will be prepared. An interactive Website for the Government-NRI interface would be set up to enable the NRIs all over the world to access the Chief Minister as per the time schedule of their respective countries of adoption.
Mr. Badal said that the scheme for 50:50 matching grant for NRI investments in development projects will be expedited.
Earlier in the morning, the Chief Minister called upon the Punjabi NRIs all over the world to join their state’s fast-track march into the advanced world. He said that the NRI Punjabis had always played a significant role in the task of nation building and that even India’s struggle for freedom originated through NRI movements like the Kamagata Maru and the Gaddar movements.
Maintaining that winds of change had started blowing in the state over the past ten months, the Chief Minister listed the securing of Bathinda Refnery, the International Airport at Mohali, clearance to a network of four-lane and six lane super expressways and massive urban development programme among his governments important achievements. Mr. Badal said that apart from the International Airport, domestic airports at Bathinda, Adampur and Ludhiana would also start functioning over the next few years. In addition, the state government would also set up a network of flying clubs to train youth as commercial pilots, cabin crew, flight engineers and maintenance staff..
He said that the state government’s efforts to set up a Civil Aviation University in the state would completely change aviation scenario.
He said that his government accorded the highest priority to the complete revamp of the educational system, especially for the rural and urban poor. The decision to set up 117 Adarsh Schools and upgradation of another 351 schools was proof of this.
He also disclosed that the centre had agreed to set up a Central University in the state. The proposal for setting an IIM and IIT in the state had also been received well by the government of India , said the Chief Minister.
Another sector in which the state was determined to change the existing landscape of despair was the availability of power. Mr. Badal declared that his government would turn the state into a power surplus. Four new thermal plants were coming up which would hike the power generation from the present 6200 to over 11000 MWs in the next four years.
Referring to the urban development initiatives, Mr. Badal disclosed that Rs 3200 crore plan for Amritsar and Rs 200 crore for Ludhiana had already been put in place and cleared by the center. A freight corridor from Kolkatta to Ludhiana had already been cleared while efforts were afoot to extend it to Amritsar and then to Attari, he said.

Technorati Tags: Badal, NRI, Punjab, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Moga, Nawanshahr, Ludhiana, Police, Bathinda, International Airport, Mohali