Chandigarh: The Punjab Vidhan Sabha yesterday passed 13 bills, including those relating to amendments to excise and school education, for facilitating crucial reforms in various sectors. The bills were passed on the last day of the third session of the 15th Punjab Vidhan Sabha after the speaker put them to vote following detailed discussions by members of the ruling party and the opposition. 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra earlier sought permission from the speaker to carry out the proceedings of legislative business. Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa moved the Punjab Co-operative Societies (Second Amendment) Bill, 2017, which was passed by voice vote after detailed deliberations by members of the House. 

Bajwa said that the bill would go a long way towards strengthening the cooperative movement in the state by bringing about necessary changes in the legislation, as and when the situation warrants. The Punjab Excise (Second Amendment) Bill, 2017, which was also passed with voice vote after extensive discussions, was moved by state Finance Minister Manpreet Badal. 

The legislation seeks to curb the inflow of smuggled liquor from other states and safeguard government revenue. The Punjab School Education Board (Amendment) Bill, 2017, was introduced by Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary and stipulates suitable amendments in the Punjab School Education Board Act, 1969. It has decided to prescribe the syllabi and course of study in consultation with the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT), Punjab. 

Winding up the discussions on the bill, Aruna Chaudhary sought cooperation from the opposition to support the government's endeavour to implement initiatives to raise the standard of school education in the larger public interest. She impressed upon the opposition not to indulge in false propaganda regarding the education reforms taken up by state government under the stewardship of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. Three other bills, replacing ordinances promulgated by the Punjab governor, were also passed by the House.