Bhopal, April 1 (IANS) Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and newly appointed Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh State Finance Commission, Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya, on Wednesday, was accorded the status of a Minister in the current BJP-led state government.

According to an order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), for the purposes of protocol, 70-year-old Pawaiya will be entitled to a salary, allowances, and other facilities equivalent to those of a state Minister.

Pawaiya, a BJP leader from Gwalior, who was involved in the Ayodhya Ram temple movement was appointed as the Chairman of the sixth Madhya Pradesh State Finance Commission.

The appointment came five-and-a-half years after he was acquitted along with 31 others by a Special CBI Court in Lucknow in the Babri mosque demolition case.

He has served as the former Bajrang Dal President and currently the BJP’s Co-Incharge for Maharashtra, will hold office till October 31, 2026.

Previously, Pawaiya had represented the Gwalior Lok Sabha constituency in 1999.

He had won the 2013 Madhya Pradesh Assembly election from Gwalior against Pradhuman Singh Tomar of the Congress, but lost the 2018 Assembly election against Pradhuman Singh Tomar from the same constituency.

Previously served as the Higher Education Minister (from June 2016-December 2018) in former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s government in Madhya Pradesh.

Pradhuman Singh Tomar, who is considered a close aide of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, is currently serving as Energy Minister in Chief Minister Mohan Yadav-led Madhya Pradesh government.

The Madhya Pradesh government had also appointed retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer K.K. Singh and Virendra Kumar as members of the State Finance Commission.

After assuming their respective charges on March 23, 2026, the trio met Governor Mangubhai Patel on March 26.

The Commission has been tasked with reviewing the financial position of panchayats and urban local bodies, recommending the distribution of taxes, duties, tolls, and fees between the state and local bodies, and suggesting measures to improve the financial autonomy of local institutions.

The Commission’s recommendations on funding for local development projects, the delivery of essential services such as water supply, sanitation, roads, and healthcare, and the strengthening of grassroots governance in both rural and urban areas will be crucial.

–IANS

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