Punjab amends Inter-State Migrant Workers Rules to avail additional Central Borrowing 2 pc of GSDP

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], November 18 : In a bid to improve ease of doing business in Punjab and fulfill the condition imposed by the Central Government for obtaining additional borrowing of 2 per cent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), the state Cabinet on Wednesday gave approval for amending Rule 14 and insertion of new Rule 53A in the Inter-State Migrant Workers (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Punjab Rules, 1983.
As per the official release of the state government, acceding to the demands raised by the industrialists at various platforms, the Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, decided to insert Rule 53A in the Inter-State Migrant Workers (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Punjab Rules, 1983, to allow maintaining different prescribed registers in electronic or digital format to reduce the compliance burden of the industries.
"This investor-friendly initiative would encourage the digitalisation of records besides helping to maintain transparency and easy access to records, thereby not only complying with the requirements of Government of India but also attracting huge investments through ensuring a conducive environment in the state," the government said.
Notably, instructions relating to additional borrowing of 2 per cent of GSDP were received from the Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure), Government Of India, on May 17, 2020, in which certain conditions were imposed for obtaining additional 2 per cent borrowing. One of the conditions was to have automatic renewals under the Labour Laws.
"At present, there is no provision of auto-renewal of the license under the Inter-State Migrant Workers (Regulation of Employment & Condition of Service) Punjab Rules, 1983. Hence, there was a need to amend the aforementioned rules to facilitate the industries with the provision of auto-renewal, the Cabinet felt," the government added.
The Cabinet also gave the nod to the Punjab Prisons Development Board Rules, 2020, under the Punjab Prisons Development Board Act, 2020 (Punjab Act No. 10 of 2020), for carrying out the objectives of the Board in order to ensure its day-to-day functioning in a smooth manner.
According to the state government, the Punjab Prisons Board Act, 2020 (Punjab Act No. 10 of 2020) was notified on April 17, 2020, on the lines of Telangana, and was aimed at adopting a self-sustaining model for enhancing prison-based economic activities for productive engagement of prison inmates.
"The purpose is also to generate resources for undertaking various correctional and welfare activities towards psychological reformation and skilling, thus reducing the burden on the State Exchequer," it stated further.
Notably, the Punjab Prisons Development Board had been constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister through a notification on September 8, 2020.
In another decision, the Cabinet also approved the increase in the fixed remuneration and retainership fees payable to the officer on special duty (OSDs) (Litigation), working in different departments, to the tune of 20 per cent from Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000.
"Pertinently, 11 temporary posts of OSD (Litigation) had been created in the Punjab Civil Secretariat in the office of Chief Secretary, Departments of General Administration, Home Affairs and Justice, Water Resources, Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Rural Development and Panchayat, Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Public Works, Water Supply and Sanitation, Health and Family Welfare and Education," the government stated.
Initially, a fixed salary of Rs.35,000 was given to OSD (Litigation). Thereafter, as per the decision taken in the Cabinet meeting on December 5, 2016, the salary of OSD (Litigation) was increased from Rs 35000 to Rs 50000 per month. After the year 2016, no increase had been made in this fixed salary or retainership fees.