CHNDIGARH:The Punjab Government on Wednesday constituted the State Planning Board under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister, Punjab Parkash Singh Badal.

Prof. J.S. Bajaj would be the Vice-Chairman whereas all Ministers and all Parliament Members of the State would be the Members of this Board.

Disclosing this here a spokesman of the Punjab Government said that 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 would 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), G. S. Kalkat, former Vice Chancellor and  Manjit Singh Kang, V.C.,P.A.U, Ludhiana (Agriculture), R.C. Sobti, V.C. Punjab University, Chandigarh (Education), P.S. Rana , IAS (Retd.), Ex-Chairman, HUDCO, P.P. Chauhan, Ex-Secretary. Government of India and G.S. Tewatia, Chief Engineer(Retd.).

The term of Punjab State Planning Board would be for a period of five years, from 12-4-2007 to 11-4-2012 and the term of Prof J.S. Bajaj, Vice Chairman would be for the period from 5-5-2007 to 4-5-2012 whereas the term of non-official members is fixed for a period of two years, he added.

He said that the State Planning Board would make an assessment of the material and human resources of the state including technical personnel and investigate the possibilities of augmenting such of these resources as are found to be deficient in relation to the State requirements.

It would also formulate a long-term prospective plan for the most effective and balanced utilization of the State's resources and also evolve short-term strategy 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 would 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 would 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 would 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 Govt, he said.