The Punjab Government today constituted High Powered Task Force with a view to eradicate poverty in consonance with the initiatives being taken by NITI Aayog in this direction.Disclosing this here today an official spokesman said that Punjab Chief Minister has appointed Prof. Rajinder Bhandari, Vice Chairman, Punjab State Planning Board of this task force. The terms of reference of the task force were the identification of measures for elimination of poverty in the State, preparing a road map and suggesting strategies and anti-poverty programmes including the reforms of the existing ones.
Prof. Bhandari thanked Chief Minister for reposing his faith and confidence in him for this mammoth task and assured him that he will put in his best efforts to make the anti-poverty program a great success. He said that the task force consisting of experienced and specialists from various fields and Secretaries of concerned departments were able to perform the job assigned to them to his entire satisfaction by suggesting meaningful and result oriented measures and schemes for elimination of poverty. He feels that eradication of poverty is a huge task and needs sincere and dedicated efforts both by Punjab and Centre Government for the implementation of schemes and programmes envisaged by the task force.Prof. Rajinder Bhandari is the former State President of BJP Punjab and has worked as Associate Professor in PG Department of Commerce at Arya College Ludhiana.