NRIs Pledge Investment in Education in Punjab

The education sector in Punjab will get a boost with committed
NRIs offering to invest on a large scale in raising the standards
of academic infrastructure in the state. The Chief Minister welcomed
the participation of the NRIs in the progress of the state, and
urged them to continue with their support.

The NRI contribution
to the development of the Doaba region was appreciated and the
CM suggested similar initiatives for the Malwa and Majha belts.

The NRI Sabha, led by its President Giani Resham Singh Hayer and General Secretary
Kamaljit Singh met Punjab’s Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal
on 3rd May, 2007.

On his part, the Chief Minister assured the
NRI delegates that the State civil and police administration
would work on a joint action plan to sort out all pending issues
of the non-resident Indian community on a high priority basis.
In fact, a separate department for NRI affairs has been established
under the aegis of a senior state official, in the CM’s office.

The Chief Minister also announced that all cases pertaining
to non resident Indians would henceforth be handled by senior
officials from the rank of DSP and above. Coordination centers
would be set up in UK, Canada, Australia and Germany to address
the issues faced by NRIs overseas.

The NRI Sabha would collaborate
with the government in establishing and running the overseas
centres.

Prakash Singh Badal also confirmed the setting up of the NRI Bhawan in Jalandhar.

Fast track courts specifically for NRIs in the Civil Court
was also on the agenda of the Punjab government, which would
be taken up with the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana.

With most of the civil cases that NRIs are trapped in being related to property
in India, the Chief Minister has ordered the Financial Commissioner,
Revenue to enforce laws to demarcate properties within the “Lal
Laquir” on the lines of ancestral property laws.

A meeting between the NRI Sabha members and officials of the
concerned departments would be arranged shortly to discuss the
concerns of NRIs. NRI cells in the district administrative offices,
setting up fast track courts for NRIs and assigning NRI Numbardars
would be taken up at the joint meeting.

Photo: Palace of Assembly Chandigarh 2006 by duncid, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.