Ahead of early 2022 Assembly polls, the Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday approved an invitation of applications for allotment of 25,000 EWS (Economically Weaker Section) to be constructed by various urban development authorities.
The applications for these houses along with necessary documents would be invited from the eligible applicants as per approved policy. The dwelling units would have a carpet area of approx 30 square meters, an official spokesperson said.
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He said this pro-poor scheme would be instrumental in benefitting nearly 25000 EWS families of the state, who do not own a dwelling unit will get ownership of the same for a healthy and safer lifestyle.
A decision to this effect was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi here at Punjab Bhawan this evening.
According to a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office, at present, 397.048 acres of land is available for EWS housing in all the development authorities. In every EWS pocket, 80 percent of the area will be for houses, while 20 percent area will be left for a school, dispensary, playground, and community center.
Keeping in view the ensuing procurement season for the year 2022-23 beginning from 1 April 2022, the Cabinet also approved the Punjab Food Grains Labour and Cartage Policy and the Punjab Food Grains Transportation Policy for the year 2022 for labour and cartage and transportation of food grains from mandis to its storage points respectively.
Under both, the policies approved by the Cabinet, the labour and cartage work besides transportation of foodgrains would be allocated through a competitive and transparent online tender system.
In a bid to relieve the transport sector from huge financial loss suffered due to lockdown imposed during the second phase of Covid-19, the Cabinet also approved exemption from Motor Vehicle Tax to contract carriage vehicles (upto 16 seater), buses of religious organizations, and stage carriage buses (upto 35 seater).