Aizawl, Sep 22 (IANS) Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said the state has set ambitious economic targets for 2047, including contributing one per cent to India’s projected $30 trillion economy, with its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) expected to reach around Rs 25 lakh crore and per capita income to exceed Rs 16 lakh.
Addressing the NITI Aayog Regional Workshop for the North Eastern Region on “Strengthening State Institutions for Transformation to Drive Viksit North East Region”, the Chief Minister said that targets alone cannot transform the state and those institutions, capabilities, policies and effective delivery systems must be strengthened to achieve them.
“A vision has value only when it is translated into clear priorities, responsibilities, timelines, resources and measurable outcomes,” he said.
Lalduhoma noted that Mizoram has extensive international borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, giving the state an important position in India’s Act East engagement with Southeast Asia, and the challenge is to translate these advantages into lasting economic opportunities for the people of the region.
The Chief Minister expressed appreciation to NITI Aayog for bringing the State Support Mission (SSM) to Mizoram and for supporting the strengthening of the State Institution for Transformation (SIT). He said that the support has helped strengthen the state’s capacity for planning, governance and delivery in the spirit of cooperative federalism.
Lalduhoma said that at the latest meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council, he had specifically raised the need for continued support to strengthen the SIT in Mizoram and the Northeast region. He also referred to his earlier interventions on the importance of SIT in the Mizoram Assembly and other public forums. He said the SIT has a critical role in helping the government think strategically, use evidence, work across departmental boundaries and focus on measurable results.
The SIT, he said, should help the government identify where it wants to go, what needs to change, what should be prioritised, whether interventions are delivering results and what needs to be done differently where they are not.
The Chief Minister also informed that, through the SIT, Mizoram is planning a Cabinet Retreat of all Ministers to deliberate on Vision 2047, strengthen convergence across departments and develop a clear pipeline of priority projects for translating the Vision into action. Highlighting the importance of the northeastern region in the transformation of Mizoram and India, he said the region possesses enormous strengths in its young population, natural resources, cultural diversity, entrepreneurship, tourism and strategic location.
He said the Regional Workshop is important as the Northeastern states have much to learn from one another, and the SITs can help connect governments with knowledge and expertise from across the region and the country. He described NITI Aayog as an important strategic partner and expressed his hope for continued guidance, expertise and support for peer learning. He said the journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047 will ultimately be built through the transformation of the states, and called for Mizoram, the other northeastern states, and NITI Aayog to work together so that the region can make a meaningful contribution to the national development journey.
Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga and other Ministers and MLAs also attended the event. NITI Aayog member Dr. Joram Aniya, state Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena, Public Policy Specialist, NITI Aayog Dr. Amrit Pal Kaur and Mizoram’s Commissioner, Planning & Finance Vanlaldina Fanai also addressed the gathering. The workshop is being attended by representatives of the State Institutions for Transformation (SITs) of all the northeastern states, along with senior officials.
–IANS
sc/vd