Chandigarh: The 15th Finance Commission today held meetings with representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and all political parties at Hotel Taj here.
Earlier, the seventeen-member Commission was welcomed by the Punjab Finance Minister Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal and Principal Secretary Finance Mr. Anirudh Tewari and other senior officers at Mohali International Airport.
The high level commission led by the Chairman NK Singh is on four-day visit to the state. The Commission comprises Dr. Anoop Singh (Member), Dr. Ashok Lahiri (Member), Dr. Ramesh Chand (Member), Mr. Arvind Mehta (Secretary), Mr. Mukhmeet Singh Bhatia (Joint Secretary), Dr. Ravi Kota (Joint Secretary), Mr. Antony Cyriac (Economic Adviser), Ms. Maushumi Chakravarti (Media Adviser), Mr. Bharat Bhushan Garg (Director-cum-OSD to Chairman), Mr. Gopal Prasad (Director), Mr. Jasvinder Singh (Director), Ms. Aditi Pathak (Deputy Director), Mr. Mahesh Kumar (Assistant Director), Mr. Sunil Dubey (ASO), Mr. Aniket (Jr. Consultant) and Mr. R. Suresh (PA to Chairman).
During the meeting with Panel, Panchayati Raj Institutions’ representatives sought financial aid for total facelift of villages and over all development of rural areas of the state. The Principal Secretary Rural Development & Panchayats Mr. Anurag Verma, Director Rural Development and Panchayats Mr. Jaskiran Singh and representatives of villages including Panches, Sarpanches and Block Samiti and Zila Parishad members were also present in the meeting.
Underlining the need to further upgrade infrastructure in urban areas, representatives of Urban Local Bodies sought funds to provide hi-tech facilities in cities across the state. Prominent amongst those who attended the meeting included Local Government Principal Secretary Mr. A Venu Prasad, Secretary Mr. Ajoy Sharma, Director Mr. Karnesh Sharma, Mayors and Commissioners of Municipal Corporations and Presidents of Municipal Council/Nagar Panchayats.
PPCC Chief Sunil Jakhar along with Congress MLAs Mr. Kuljit Singh Nagra, and MLA Amit Vij attended the meeting. Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mr. Aman Arora and Punjab Legal Cell President Mr. Jastej Singh, SAD MLA Parminder Singh Dhindsa and SAD Senior Vice-President Daljit Singh Cheema besides BJP senior leader Dr Subash Sharma, Convener All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Manjeet Singh, Member Executive Committee AITC Roshan Lal Goel and BSP Punjab Zone In-charge Pal Singh Rattu and BSP district President Mohali Harnek Singh, Punjab State Communist Party of India (CPI) Secretary Bant Singh Brar, CPI National Councilor Dr. Joginder Singh Deyal, CPI (M) Secretary Punjab Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon, Raghunath Singh and Nationalist Congress Party President Swarn Singh, Senior Vice-President Gurinder Singh were also present.
