Chandigarh August 7: Punjab Government has decided to constitute District Planning Committees in all the 20 districts. These Committees have been constituted in pursuance of the 74th amendment of the Constitution of India.
Disclosing this here today a spokesman of Punjab Government said that the members of the District Planning Committees vary from 15 to 40 depending upon the population of the district. Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Nawan Shahar, Mansa, Kapurthala, Muktsar, Moga, Mohali, Ropar, Tarn Taran and Barnala will have 15 members each, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur, Patiala, Jalandhar and Sangrur will have 24 members each and the remaining 3 districts Gurdaspur, Ludhiana and Amritsar will have 40 members each. 80% of these members would be elected from amongst the members of Zila Parishads and members of Municipal Bodies. Remaining 20% of the members would be nominated by the State Government from amongst the MLAs and other persons.
The spokesman further said that the chairman of the District Planning Committee will also be nominated by the Punjab Government from amongst the elected or nominated members of the District Planning Committee. The Deputy Commissioner would be the ex-officio Member Secretary of the Committee.
The District Planning Committee would prepare draft district development plan and prioritise the schemes and programmes to be implemented in the district. The Committee would also monitor and review the progress of projects. The Deputy Commissioners have been asked to hold elections for the District Planning Committees by 25/8/2008. Once these Committees are constituted, the existing District Planning & Development Boards would cease to function, the spokesman added.