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Punjab Government Faces Backlash Over Appointment of Delhi-Based AAP Leaders to Key State Roles

CM Bhagwant Mann defends appointments of Reena Gupta to Pollution Control Board and Deepak Chouhan to Industrial Development Board as merit-based, while opposition calls it nepotism and outsider favoritism.

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Reena Gupta
Senior party spokesperson and ex-MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu has been made the chairman of the Punjab State Cooperative Agricultural Development Bank.

Overview

  • The Mann-led Punjab government announced 31 appointments, including Reena Gupta as chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and Deepak Chouhan as head of the Punjab Large Industrial Development Board.
  • Reena Gupta, a Delhi-based AAP spokesperson, is the first woman to lead the PPCB but faces criticism for being a non-Punjabi and lacking local ties.
  • Opposition leaders allege the appointments prioritize loyalty to AAP’s national leadership over merit and accuse the government of allowing outsiders to dominate Punjab’s resources.
  • The PPCB plays a crucial role in enforcing environmental regulations and addressing issues like farm-fire pollution, raising concerns about politicization under Gupta’s leadership.
  • AAP defends the selections, emphasizing Gupta’s environmental expertise, including her advisory role to Delhi’s AAP government and prior work with the World Bank.