Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Underscoring the need for strengthening Cooperative labourfed and construction societies in the state for making them self sustainable, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that these societies should be judiciously allocated government work, so that small and marginal societies could be benefitted from it.
Presiding over a meeting of the board constituted for dealing with the problems faced by the Cooperative Labourfed and construction societies here at the Chief Minister’s Office, the Chief Minister underlined the need for extending the benefit of these societies to the underprivileged and downtrodden sections of the society. Mr. Badal said that the main motive of these societies was to benefit this stratum of the society, which was unable to compete with the big sharks involved in the construction activities. Reiterating the firm commitment of the state government to ensure the overall welfare of the labour class, he said that the Cooperative sector could play a vital role in this noble cause.
Dwelling on another issue the Chief Minister also asked the Punjab Infotech to rationalize the processing fee for filing e-tenders by such societies, so that they could participate in the e-tendering process. He also asked the Cooperative department to ensure that all the payments of these societies were made through the Cooperative banks, so as to facilitate them. Acceding to a demand of the Labourfed leaders, Mr. Badal also asked the Irrigation and Public Works Department to simplify the procedure for the enlistment of these societies thereby removing the unwarranted classification of these societies which were rendering them uncompetitive with the big construction companies.
Keeping in view the escalation in the cost of labour and material, the Chief Minister also gave nod to enhance the limit of skilled work for these societies from existing Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. Likewise, he also gave approval for revising the exemption from earnest money in view the massive increase in the input costs. Mr. Badal also asked the Cooperative department to include the Departments of Punjab Mandi Board and Panchayti Raj wing of the Rural Development in the list for allotting the work to these societies.
Prominent amongst those present in the meeting included Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mr. KD Bhandari, Chairman Labourfed Mr. Gurpartap Singh Khushalpur, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Secretary Local Government Mr. Ashok Gupta, Registrar Cooperative Societies Mr. AS Miglani and Special Secretary Cooperation Mrs. Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar.
