Pb govt approves change in law to boost crop diversification

The Punjab Cabinet, led by Amarinder Singh, today decided to bring guava, banana and vineyard farmers at par with their counterparts working in orchards in terms of maximum land size they are permitted to own or hold.
The Cabinet approved an amendment to Section 3(8) of the Punjab Land Reforms Act, 1972, to allow these three fruit growers to be covered under the set of exemptions provided to orchard cultivators, an official release said here.
It will provide a legal right to a farmer or tenant farming these fruits to keep up to 20.5 hectares of land, as in the case of an orchard farmer, it said.

The Cabinet gave its nod to certain amendments to the Punjab Infrastructure (Development & Regulation) Act, 2002, through a Bill vis-a-vis the Punjab Infrastructure (Development & Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2017, the release said.
The Cabinet also approved replacement of the blue cards under the Atta Dal scheme with new smart cards, while giving the go-ahead to engaging three public sector units for the computerisation of the state's Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
It decided to engage Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Broadcasting Engineering Consultants Indian Ltd (BECIL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), the release said.

The cash-crunched Punjab government has decided to regularly review its fiscal condition, with focus on expenditure curtailment and resource mobilisation, it said, adding that a cabinet sub-committee, headed by Singh, has been set up for this purpose.

The sub-committee will meet every Tuesday to discuss ways and means of cutting down on expenses and generate resources to meet the state's requirements and boost its economy.
The release said that with a debt burden of Rs 2,08,000 crore, fiscal deficit of Rs 34,000 crore and revenue deficit of Rs 13,000 crore, the Congress government in the state is battling a major challenge.