'Sikhya-te-Sehat' Fund Approves By The Punjab Cabinet Minister To Create Education Infrastructure.

The state government of Punjab gave its approval to establish the Sikhya-te-Sehat fund for developing and enhancing healthcare and educational infrastructure in the state. The decision was made during a meeting of the Cabinet, which was chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

The ‘Sikhya-te-Sehat’ fund is designed to improve the quality of health and education facilities within the state. The fund will be used to finance capital projects that will benefit the public. Donations from individuals and organisations will be accepted to support this initiative.

The CM will preside over the trust with the finance minister as its second-in-command, chief secretary as member secretary, and ministers of health, school education, medical education, higher education, and technical education departments as its trustees. The trust will also have an advisory committee headed by the Chief Secretary.

According to the revised policy, the revenue ‘patwaris’ and agriculture extension officers will identify the labourers through a comprehensive survey of the villages and ‘patwaris’ will certify that the family does not have any cultivable land or owns land less than one acre. The list will be finalised after getting public objections and certification in the general hearing at villages on a stipulated time. The policy will be applicable from the Kharif season 2021 onwards.

The Cabinet also approved the granting of earned leave, half pay leave and extraordinary leave to guest faculty and part time lecturers of the government colleges in addition to the existing casual and maternity leaves. This was a long standing demand of the guest faculty and part time lecturers.