4 months ago
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Chandigarh, Dec 15 (PTI) Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and urged him to take immediate action to fill vacancies in the state commission for the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).
The Congress leader said this inaction is causing distress to the NRIs whose cases are pending and added it is contrary to the purpose for which the Commission was established.
“I urge you to take immediate action to fill the vacant positions in the Commission and ensure its smooth functioning. The NRIs are an integral part of our state, and it is our duty to protect their interests,” said Bajwa.
Bajwa, the Leader of Opposition, pointed out that the functioning of the Punjab State Commission for the NRIs has come to a “standstill” since August because of the vacancies in the positions of its chairman and members.
The Commission constituted under the Non-Resident Indians Act, 2011, is instrumental in safeguarding the interests of the NRIs.
Justice Shekher Dhawan’s tenure as the chairman ended on February 6, 2023, along with the tenures of MP Singh, Gurjit Singh Lehal and Savinder Singh Sidhu as the members.
The Qadian MLA in his letter said that Hardeep Singh Dhillon, the last member, also completed his tenure on August 4.
“Since then, there has been no one to hear the old cases, pass orders, accept new complaints or take necessary action,” said Bajwa.
“The staff comes to the office every day, but there is no work to do. The NRIs, whose interests this Commission was set up to protect, are waiting every day for the government’s decision to appoint a new chairman and members,” he added.
Bajwa said that many NRIs have written to him and the NRI minister to do the needful, but the government has not taken any action.
“Instead of empowering the NRI Commission and enacting new laws to resolve the issues faced by the NRIs, the government has halted the working of the Commission by not making any decisions on the appointment file,” he said. PTI CHS AS AS
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