The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Friday passed seven bills during the monsoon session within a span of approximately 30 minutes. The House passed the legislation for setting up Sri Guru Teg Bahadur University of Law at Tarn Taran to commemorate the 400th Birth Anniversary of the Ninth Sikh Guru Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. The bill was presented by Higher Education Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa “to establish and incorporate a State University for the development and advancement of legal education, for the purposes of imparting specialised and systematic instruction, training and research in the field of law and for the matters connected therewith or incidental thereto”. The Assembly also unanimously approved the Punjab Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Amendment Bill, 2020. Presenting the bill, Higher Education Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said that the legislation would pave the way for extending the period of parole in situation of disasters, epidemics and extreme emergencies. The rationale behind bringing the legislation was to enable the Jail Department to take measures to decongest jails, besides ensuring that the jails remain Covid-19 free, as readmitting the inmates released on parole/interim bail, who reside in different parts of state and outside, would expose other inmates to the risk of contracting Covid-19. The Punjab Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 1962 did not have any provision through which parole of prisoners could be extended from 16 weeks and the condition of parole being availed on quarterly basis could be waived in unprecedented situations of disasters and epidemics. The Assembly also passed the Punjab Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Second Amendment), Bill 2020. Presenting the bill, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said that in view of the serious negative impact of the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic on the resources of state governments, the Government of India has decided to provide relaxation in borrowing limits by increasing an additional Borrowing Limit of up to two per cent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for the year 2020-2021 subject to implementation of specific State Level Reforms. He said that the motive was to strengthen resources in the hands of state governments. Punjab has also been allowed an additional borrowing of two per cent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) i.e. Rs 12130 crore in 2020-21 over and above its net borrowing ceiling, which is three per cent of GSDP. However, the relaxation in borrowing limits is partly unconditional to the extent of 0.5 per cent and remaining 1.5 per cent is conditional to the implementation of following reforms Implementation of One Nation, One Ration Card System, Ease of Doing Business reform, urban local body/utility reforms, and power sector reforms. The Punjab Assembly also gave nod to the Punjab Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2020. The bill was presented by Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu. The minister said that as there was no legislation at present in Punjab to register or regulate private clinical establishments, the aim of this enactment was to bring the clinical establishments under a regulatory mechanism so as to further ensure transparency in their functioning. The Assembly also approved the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020, The Industrial Disputes (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020 and The Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020. CM running away from discussing burning issues of the state: Majithia Chandigarh: IN LIGHT OF the hurried Vidhan Sabha session, Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia said Friday was "a black day for democracy", and accused Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of "running away from discussing the burning issues of the state." Majithia said "it was shocking that the CM even lied in Vidhan Sabha that SAD did not attend the session when it was his government which had kept the Opposition out of the Assembly". The SAD leader said that the Captain "indulged in blatant lying by concealing the fact that it was on record that the chief minister has asked Opposition legislators who had made contact with those testing Covid positive not to come to the Vidhan Sabha. The Speaker also issued a letter to the same effect which is also on record". He said "while the SAD acted responsibly, many others including the AAP and Congress legislators did not, with Congress MLA Nirmal Singh Shutrana, who attended the session, testing positive later". "The police was posted outside the residences of SAD MLAs to thwart them from coming out to attend the session. These actions speak about the intentions of the Congress government and the chief minister who is intentionally trying to defame the SAD legislators instead of appreciating them for behaving responsibly," said Majithia. The SAD leader said that "instead of indulging in diversionary tactics and holding a discussion on such an important issue as central ordinances on agriculture for less than 30 minutes with the sole purpose of playing politics, the chief minister should have given the opposition time to discuss the important issue." Similarly, he said, no time was kept to discuss other pressing issues. Majithia asked the Congress government to reconvene the Vidhan Sabha next month to discuss those issues. ALSO IN THE HOUSE Power subsidy not to be withdrawn: Manpreet Badal Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal made a categorical assurance in the House on Friday that as long as Capt Amarinder Singh was the Chief Minister of the state the power subsidy being given to the farm sector will not be withdrawn. He made the statement after being prompted by the Speaker, Rana KP Singh, after the point was raised by AAP in the Assembly. TRIBUTES The Assembly paid its respects to the soldiers killed in Ladakh's Galwan valley, the COVID warriors and Olympian Balbir Singh Senior, former MP Gurdas Singh Badal, Harminder Kaur (parents of state Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal), former MLA Chatin Singh Samao, former state minister Hari Singh Zira and Justice (retd) Satpal Bangar. On the request of Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, the frontline COVID warriors, who sacrificed their lives fighting against the pandemic while going beyond the call of their duty, were also added to the list. MEDIA COVERAGE For media coverage, special arrangements have been made at the Punjab Bhawan, where live streaming of the session is being provided. Seating In the House, one member per bench is allowed to sit in order to maintain social distancing. ENS & PTI
