Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday announced the setting up of Delhi Dialogue Commission, an advisory body to be headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The commission will work on the AAP’s 70-point action plan, which was released along with the party’s manifesto. Senior leader of the party Ashish Khetan will be the vice chairman of the commission, along with the working head of the team, which will consist of nine members.

The decision of setting up this commission was taken during a Cabinet meeting on Friday evening. While Kejriwal will be the chairman of the commission, Khetan will be the vice-chairman. The team will also include the Deputy Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary and Secretary to the CM. Besides, there will be two nominated members by the vice chairman and one member-secretary appointed by the chairman. The office of the commission will be in the Delhi Secretariat.

Sisodia said, “Before elections, we had spoken to several people to understand their problems after which we released our party manifesto. Now it is time to implement that manifesto. Thus, we have decided to formalise the Delhi Dialogue and make it into a full-fledged commission. This commission will work to provide facilities and fill loopholes in the Government while looking at how to introduce advance technology. This will be a high-powered body.”

According to Sisodia, this commission was one of the main reasons that Kejriwal didn’t take any portfolio in the Delhi Cabinet. “He wanted to devote his time to fulfilling the 70-point action plan and now he will focus on this,” he said. However, Khetan clarified that the commission will not only work on the 70-point action plan but on issues as they come. “The agenda is an introduction to the work our Government will do, not a culmination of it,” he said.

This commission like the Delhi Dialogue will also take public suggestions. While meetings with experts and interaction with the public will take place, there is an email ID where anyone can send in suggestions. Khetan explained, “When Delhi Dialogue was on we spoke to experts as well from the sectors, round-table meetings were held. In this commission as well, we request people of Delhi that if they have any suggestions to make Delhi a better place they should send it to our email id which is dc.delhi@gov.in.”

The commission will function with different task forces who will be made to work in various sectors. “These task forces will mingle with public and get best ideas and give the Government and tell us what the public problems are. There will be regular meetings with the task force,” Khetan added. Some of the initial task forces made will be on rejuvenating and reviving the Yamuna and water bodies in Delhi (including ponds, lakes, baolis, tanks and rivers).