Punjab state Planning Board constituted

Chandigarh, Feb 20 (UNI) Punjab Government today constituted the State Planning Board under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Punjab Parkash Singh Badal.

A spokesman of the Punjab government said here today that Prof J S Bajaj would be the Vice-Chairman whereas all Ministers and all Parliament Members of the state will be the members of this board.

The other members to the Board include Chairman of Advisory Committee to Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary Finance and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Punjab.

The Secretary Planning will be the Member Secretary.

He added that the other non-official members inducted into the Board are S P Oswal, Vardhman Industries, Ludhiana (from Industry), Dr G S Kalkat, former Vice Chancellor and Dr Manjit Singh Kang, V C ,P A U, Ludhiana (Agriculture), Dr R C Sobti, V C Punjab University, Chandigarh (Education), Dr P S Rana , IAS (Retd), Ex-Chairman, HUDCO, P P Chauhan, Ex-Secretary. Government of India and G S Tewatia, Chief Engineer (Retd.).

He said that the state planning board will make an assessment of the material and human resources of the state including technical personnel and investgate the possibilities of augmenting such resources which are found to be deficient in relation to the State requirements.

It will also formulate a long-term prospective plan for the most effective and balanced utilisation of the state's resources and also evolve short-term strategy (Five Year Plan) for planned development, examination of different approaches so as to evolve a maximum growth rate, keeping in view the need for social justice.

He further added that the board will identify factors which tend to retard economic and social development of the state and determine conditions to the established for successful execution of the plans and review the progress of implementation of the plan programme and recommend such adjustments in policies and measures as the review any indicate.

It will also assist district authorities in formulating their development plans within the spheres in which such planning was considered useful and feasible and to coordinate these plans with the State plans.

The planning board will also make such interim or ancillary recommendations as appear to be appropriate either for facilitating the discharge of the duties assigned to it, or on a consideration of the prevailing economic conditions, current policies, measures and development programmes, or on examination of such specific problems as maybe referred to it for advice by the government, he said.

UNI JN AK AS1920