Punjab Cabinet gives nod to denotify land pooling policy
The decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of council of ministers, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here. The Cabinet decided to withdraw notification of the department of housing and urban development, Punjab pertaining to Land Pooling Policy 2025 issued on June 4 along with subsequent amendments, said an official spokesperson of the chief minister's office.
While the government did not hold any customary briefing after the Cabinet meeting, a source said, 'There were several other ex-post facto approval to be given in the meeting. These agendas were read out one after the other and the nod was given. There was no discussion in the Cabinet.' He was referring to ex-post facto approval for the formation of a Group of Ministers (GoM) to ensure the smooth procurement on Kharif and Rabi crops. This GoM is chaired by the Agriculture Minister and includes the Ministers for Food & Civil Supplies, Transport, and Water Resources as members.
Another ex-post facto approval was granted to the formation of a Cabinet Sub-Committee. This committee will review and consider recommendations made by the Committee of Officers regarding Parts II and III of the 6th Punjab Pay Commission Report.
A source added, 'Everything was already decided. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal had already announced his decision to withdraw the policy through a conference call. It was acceptable to all as most of the party leaders were already in sync that the policy was threatening to dim the future prospects of AAP in the state,' said the source.
The government had announced its decision to withdraw the policy on Monday, after weeks long protest by farmer organisations and opposition parties against the policy.
It was stated that while the AAP was in no mood to withdraw the policy, the party leadership's views changed after attendees in a state-level government function in Sunam, to mark the martyrdom day of Shaheed Udham Singh, started walking out just when Kejriwal started speaking. 'This was shocking for the party. The state that loved Kejriwal just a few years ago, didn't want to listen showed him this side. This was a learning. This was stated that the land pooling policy was the reason behind this negativity.'
The Punjab Cabinet had approved the land pooling policy in June and had then asserted that not a single yard will be forcibly acquired from land owners. The state government had planned to acquire around 65,000 acres of land at many places including around 45,000 acres only in Ludhiana for developing residential and industrial zones. Under the policy, an owner will be given a 1,000 square yard of residential plot and a 200 square yard of commercial plot in fully developed land in lieu of one acre of land, the state government had said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- Indian Express
GoM meeting on GST reforms next week, tight timeline for Council's nod
The Group of Ministers (GoM) on Rate Rationalisation is set to meet in the coming week to discuss the proposal on next-generation GST reforms Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday. The GoM has ministers from six states: Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar and Karnataka. While the proposal was shared with the ministers from the six states a day before the PM's Independence Day address, the Department of Revenue in the Union Ministry of Finance will make a presentation to the GoM when it meets, sources said. Sources in the Union Finance Ministry said they were confident the GoM and later the GST Council would find merit in the proposal. Internal calculations by the Department of Revenue in the Finance Ministry suggest that gross GST revenues under the proposed two-pillar rate structure of 5 per cent and 18 per cent will not be lower than what it is now. Giving a broad idea of the proposal, sources said most of the products and services would be placed in either of the two rates — 5 per cent or 18 per cent. Goods and services used by the common man, or as inputs by farmers, small entrepreneurs and MSMEs, will attract the lower 5 per cent duty. This will reduce the tax burden and is expected to drive consumption. Most other goods and services will attract the 18 per cent rate, they said. Sources said that in categorising goods and services as sin and demerit goods and bracketing them under the special rate of 40 per cent, the Department of Revenue has kept in mind the country's 'social ethos'. At present, there are multiple rate slabs — 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent — and a compensation cess ranging from 1 per cent to 290 per cent that is levied on sin and luxury goods such as cars, refrigerators, air conditioners, pan masala, tobacco and cigarettes. With loans taken by the Centre to pay compensation cess to states getting recouped and fully repaid by November-December, the cess rates on goods are proposed to be subsumed at this special rate of 40 per cent, sources said. But on some goods like tobacco, the tax incidence is substantially higher than 40 per cent; the government is aware of this, and a separate mechanism may be arrived at in due course, the sources said. Though there might be an initial impact on revenues, the gains from higher compliance and consumption are expected to offset the losses, they said. Against a tight timeline, the Centre is learnt to have factored in at least three meetings of the GoM before a final proposal is put before the GST Council, the apex decision-making authority on aspects of the indirect tax regime that was introduced in 2017. Indications are that a rollout is being targeted well ahead of Diwali, since the industry needs time to reconcile to the new rate structure and any disruption ahead of the festive season would need to be avoided. 'In the eight years of GST, there has so far been patchy tinkering of tax rates and slabs. That piecemeal addressing of problems with the tax regime has only complicated the structure further and has ended up with a system that is even more complicated and layered than what was originally envisaged. What we are doing now is a holistic revamp of the tax system with two main rates that will be the two pillars of the tax regime,' said the source 'This structural reform to the tax regime would be accompanied by process reforms that include sorting out registration issues and problems with refunds, and changes in how automated notices are generated to make the interface smoother,' said the source. As per the proposal, the government is looking to implement pre-filled returns to reduce manual intervention, eliminate mismatches and compliance burden due to multiple notices. Changes will also be made on the refunds front, with the proposal aiming to provide a major portion of refunds within a fixed number of days and enable automated processing of refunds for exporters and those with inverted duty structure. 'In Income Tax, the tax department keeps your TDS (tax deducted at source) amount for one year and pays you the refund after your return filing. But since they pay fast, the taxpayer feels happy about it. In GST, there are refunds that are given three times or four times a year. But people still complain. Now, the crucial difference here is that in the case of GST, the timing is crucial, since it (the refund) is working capital for the enterprise. So, there is a need to make the processes faster. All these will be part of the process reforms,' the source said. The Centre is learnt to have factored in at least three meetings of the Group of Ministers (GoM) before a final proposal is put before the GST Council. Indications are that a rollout is being targeted well ahead of Diwali, since the industry needs time to reconcile to the new rate structure and any disruption ahead of the festive season would need to be avoided. The multiplicity of rates in the current GST regime, officials said, had triggered problems of implementation, confusion of interpretation, and disputes. 'So, we wanted to make it simple. Ideally, one tax rate would have been the best solution, but it is not practical. Currently, we have five rates, alongside the exempt items and special rates for items such as jewellery or diamonds. Now we would have two rates (5 per cent and 18 per cent). The third rate (40 per cent) is exceptional. You need to justify why something should go there. Currently, 28 per cent is part of the structure. 40 per cent in the new regime is not. That is the difference,' the source said. The PM's announcement has to be seen in the context of it being a proposal for states to consider, the source said. 'A reform like this should have everybody on board for it to work best. The GoM on rate rationalisation has been working on this issue for the last four years… The Centre has now taken a leadership position on this, and put this proposal for consideration of the panel,' a source said. The Centre, sources said, is convinced of the buoyancy from the rate rationalisation taking care of the worries stemming from revenue loss, unlike an earlier attempt in 2018 when rate cuts did not result in revenue gains. 'There were problems then (2018), since it (the cut) led to inversions in duty rates in multiple sectors and that led to some amount of gaming of the system by players to avail of input tax credits. Evasion grew… This move to revamp the rate structure (now) is to avoid inversions and inversions-related problems,' an official said. 'Technically, the states should be convinced. Politically, one has to see how they respond,' the official said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
HC to check AAP plea on Kejriwal's house on Aug 25
New Delhi: Delhi High Court has said it will examine on Aug 25 the plea of Aam Aadmi Party seeking allotment of a residential accommodation to its national convener and former chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, in the national capital. Justice Sachin Datta adjourned the matter for a detailed hearing on the plea, which seeks directions to the central govt to allot accommodation to Kejriwal. The petition contends that under the guidelines for the allotment of accommodation from the general pool to political parties, the president of a recognised national party was entitled to one govt residence in Delhi, provided they neither own a house nor were allotted one in any other official capacity. "All pre-conditions are met. There is a national convener, who is also the national president. We are requesting a centrally located residence," senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing AAP, submitted earlier. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Gold Rates Today in Delhi | Silver Rates Today in Delhi He informed the court that AAP first wrote to the authorities on Sept 20 last year, followed by a reminder, but no action was taken. A previous bench granted the party office space when it lacked one, and the current request was for residential accommodation, he added. The petition notes Kejriwal vacated his official residence at 6 Flagstaff Road on Oct 4 after stepping down as chief minister. Since then, he has been staying at the official residence of another party member near Mandi House, it added. According to the guidelines, recognised national parties are allowed to secure the allotment of one housing unit from the general pool in Delhi for their office use on the payment of a licence fee. The guidelines also state that one residential accommodation would be allotted to the president of a recognised national party in case he has no house in Delhi, either of his own or allotted by the govt in any other capacity. Last year, AAP was allocated a new office at Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla Lane in Lutyens' Delhi after it approached the high court, which ruled that the party was entitled to a space for its office here like other national parties and asked the BJP-led Centre to take a decision on the issue. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
SFJ threatens CM Mann; Khalistani graffiti found on Punjab MLA's house
Bhagwant Mann (File photo) BATHINDA: Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based Khalistani outfit, has emailed several media persons threatening "political death" for Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann from Aug 31 - the day then Punjab CM Beant Singh was assassinated. Earlier, Sikhs for Justice chief and designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had openly threatened to kill Mann and the Punjab DGP on Republic Day. In a related incident, pro-Khalistani graffiti was found painted on Mehal Kalan MLA Kulwant Pandori's house in Pandori village in Barnala Friday morning. The same threatening slogan was also found near the village bus stand. Officials later spray-painted the graffiti black to obscure it. "CCTV footage shows two men arriving on a motorbike around 3am on Aug 15. They painted the slogans quickly. A police complaint has already been filed," the MLA said. TNN
