Planning Commission gets new members, chief retained

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed announced the names of the new members of the Planning Commission on Friday. The PM has retained the outgoing deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia and three members Sayeeda Hamid, BK Chaturvedi and Abhijit Sen.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed announced the names of the new members of the Planning Commission on Friday.

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The PM has retained the outgoing deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia and three members Sayeeda Hamid, BK Chaturvedi and Abhijit Sen. It is for the second time in the panel’s history that deputy chairperson is being repeated.

Mihir Shah, a Ph.D in applied economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University and secretary of a Madhya Pradesh-based NGO Samaj Pragati Sahayog, has also been made a member.

Narendra Jadhav, 55, vice-chancellor of Pune University, whom the PM described as a role model for the disempowered of millions, has been nominated as a member. Third new face would be Saumitra Chaudauri, 55, an economist, who was a member of PM’s Economic Advisory Council.

Name of space scientist and ISRO chief K Kasturirangan was not announced, as he will have to resign from his Rajya Sabha to become a plan panel member.

Soon after the takeover, Ahluwalia said panel members would meet all ministers to finalise the road map to implement the UPA government’s 100 days agenda. “Common man will be our focus. We will concentrate on health and education and for revival of economy,” he said.

Pillai new Home Secretary

The PM has appointed Gopal K Pillai, as IAS officer of 1972 batch, as new Home Secretary. He will take over from the incumbent Madhukar Gupta on July 1 and till then will work as Officer on Special Duty in the ministry.

Rahul Khullar, IAS officer of 1973 batch, has been appointed as new Commerce Secretary in place of Pillai. Khullar was earlier additional secretary in the Commerce ministry.