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The Punjab Government today reconstituted the Anandpur Sahib Foundation. The old notifications and orders with regard to the setting up of the foundation have been rescinded and a new order has been issued in this connection.
Former Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, who had been made the lifetime Chairman of the foundation stands removed from it. Likewise, other Akali leaders such as Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, Capt Kanwaljit Singh and the Editor of a Punjabi Daily from Jalandhar, Mr Barjinder Singh, have also been removed.
Though Mr Barjinder Singh had resigned from the foundation but his resignation was not accepted by the previous government. After his resignation, the activities of the foundation were being run by Capt Kanwaljit Singh. In fact, out of 20 members, there were about 15 private members of the general body of the foundation.
But in the new set-up announced today, all 11 member are either Government officers or political executives. The new set-up will be headed by the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh. He has been designated as ex-officio Chairman of the foundation. Its other members will be the Finance Minister, the Chief Secretary, the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, the Principal Secretary (Finance), the Principal Secretary (B and R), the Principal Secretary (Planning), the Principal Secretary (Cultural Affairs), the Principal Secretary (Public Relations), the Secretary (Local Bodies), and the Secretary (Information and Technology).
Besides that, there will be a seven member executive headed by the Finance Minister to run its affairs on routine basis. Other members of the Executive will be the Chief Secretary, the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, the Principal Secretary (Finance), the Principal Secretary (Cultural Affairs), and the Chief Executive Officer of the foundation will be the Secretary of the Executive. The Chief Administrator (Punjab Urban Development Authority) will be a special invitee in the executive meetings.
The declared objective of the new foundation will be to complete the work on the Khalsa Heritage Complex at Anandpur Sahib by September 2004 because the year has a special significance due to three historic events such as 300 years of martyrdom of Sahibzadas, 400 years of installation of Guru Granth Sahib in Golden Temple, Amritsar and 500 years of “parkash utsav” of Guru Arjan Dev.
The Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, said funds for the project would be arranged by the state government and a matching contribution would be sought from the Union Government besides seeking contributions from public.
Meanwhile, the Member Secretary of the foundation, Mr Romila Dubey, explaining the circumstances necessitating the reconstitution of the foundation today said it had become a non-functional body as no meeting of its general body had taken place for the past three years. The last meeting presided over by Mr Parkash Singh Badal as Chairman was held on February 24,2000. Even its executive committee did not meet since December 4,2001. For many crucial decisions regarding the Heritage Complex Project, the government’s intervention was sought. The object of the earlier foundation was primarily tercentenary celebrations. Though the state government released Rs 73.48 crore, yet it had no role to play in its day to day affairs.
In today’s meeting, the foundation also approved a project relating to research work to be undertaken by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad at a cost of Rs 1 crore. The meeting also recommended to the Punjab Government to co-opt more members of the foundation. Recommended names included Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, Mr Sardool Singh and Dr Ramesh Dutt Sharma, all ministers, Mr Balbir Singh, Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar and Mr Kartar Singh Duggal. In addition to it, Mrs Kiranjot Kaur, member SGPC, Dr B.N.Goswami and Bhai Mohinder Singh of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, Britain have also been recommended for nomination on the foundation
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