Amrit Sagar Mittal is Punjab planning board’s vice-chairperson no. 3

CHANDIGARH: As the Punjab government on Wednesday appointed renowned industrialist Amrit Sagar Mittal as vice-chairperson of the Punjab state

planning board

on the rank and status of a cabinet minister, the strength of board’s vice-chairpersons has now reached three. Mittal is also the vice-chairman of Sonalika International Tractors Limited.


Earlier, the planning board, chaired by Punjab chief minister, used to have two vice-chairpersons. The other two serving vice-chairpersons on the rank and status of cabinet ministers are former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and industrialist Rajinder Gupta, chairman of the Trident Group. Both are not drawing salary from the state planning board. Gupta also served as vice-chairperson of the planning board during the previous SAD-BJP government.

But the state government decided to appoint the third vice-chairperson with a view to widening the scope of the planning board to provide strategic policy inputs besides focusing on long-term vision to ensure

sustainable development

. The planning department spokesperson said Gupta’s tenure would end on March 27, 2021, while Bhattal would continue till July 3, 2021.

The Punjab government has already approved the reorganisation of the planning department, which has now been renamed as the department of economic policy and planning while the Punjab state planning board has been renamed as economic policy and planning board. The work of the department would be looked after by the experts designated as advisers in the field of industry, academia and public service.