Punjab CM hiring outsiders in development panel: Partap Singh Bajwa

PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and CLP leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday accused the AAP government of filling top positions in the Punjab Development Commission (PDC) with individuals from outside — mostly close to AAP’s Delhi leadership.

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Bajwa said the PDC was formed in September 2023 through a notification under the Punjab Infrastructure (Development and Regulation) Act, without introducing the Bill in the Vidhan Sabha.

In March 2024, the PDC advertised and appointed eight advisors at a monthly salary of Rs 2.65 lakh each, 15 joint advisors at Rs 2.20 lakh per month and 15 senior research officers for Rs 1.25 lakh per month.

Bajwa said most of these officials were non-Punjabis and were hired on a contractual basis without adhering to the mandatory requirement of Punjabi language proficiency.

He said, “While Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is a Chairman of the PDC, the vice-chairperson is a non-Punjabi. Three more members belong to other states.”

He pointed out that the AAP government had already spent Rs 7.70 crore from the state exchequer on the PDC in the past year.

He alleged that the NGOs working with the Commission were based outside Punjab, raising concerns about the marginalisation of local talent and institutions.

The LoP accused Mann of effectively allowing Arvind Kejriwal’s Delhi-based team to run a parallel government in Punjab. He said Mann had been reduced to a figurehead while Kejriwal had been acting as the “Super CM”.