Draft Bill approved for appointment of law officers in Punjab

The Punjab Cabinet today approved the introduction of a Draft Bill to streamline appointments and bring transparency into the functioning of the office of the Advocate General, as part of the state government's administrative reforms agenda.
The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here, an official spokesperson said.
The 'Punjab Law Officers (Engagement) Act, 2017' Bill would be tabled for enactment in the current session of the Punjab Assembly, he said.
Giving details of the proposed legislation, the spokesperson said it was aimed at putting in place an efficacious mechanism for the engagement of law officers in the Advocate General's office, purely on the merit and as per the directions of the Supreme Court and the High Court.

The enactment of the legislation will bring in greater transparency, fairness and objectivity in the appointments of the Senior Additional Advocate General, the Additional Advocate General, the Senior Deputy Advocate General, the Deputy Advocate General, the Assistant Advocate General and the Advocate on Record, he said.
The cabinet also approved amendments in the qualifications and experience for the post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) in the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to strengthen the organisation and make it more effectual, the spokesperson said.

The PSPCL CMD would now be an IAS officer, in the rank of Principal Secretary or above, having prior experience of working in the power sector, he said.

The cabinet has also amended the terms and conditions with respect to qualifications and experience for the said post, adding the streams of civil engineering, electronics and communication engineering, instrumentation engineering and information technology to the existing basic qualifications, the spokesperson said.
In addition, the experience of Central Electricity Authority (CEA) would also be considered for the post of CMD, he said.
In another decision, the cabinet decided to engage the services of retired Inspector General of Police Khubi Ram as Security Advisor to the Chief Minister in the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), with entitlement to equivalent status, pay, perks, privileges and allowances, as admissible in such case, the spokesperson added.