CM Shinde directs MITRA to focus on taking Maha towards $1 trillion economy

Mumbai : Chief Minister Eknath Shinde directed the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA) on Monday to work on taking the state towards making it a $1 trillion economy.

“MITRA should support the environment, green energy manufacturing, education, agriculture, health and infrastructure and follow the state government in pursuing the goal of Maharashtra becoming a $1 trillion economy,” the Chief Minister said while chairing the board meeting of MITRA, which is a think tank established by the state government on the line of NITI Aayog.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister also launched the Institutional Capacity Building Project ($ 188 million programme with the help of the World Bank) to promote Maharashtra district-level development and also the Maharashtra Resilient Development Program to control the flood situation in the Krishna Bhima basin, especially in Kolhapur and Sangli districts ($400 million aid from World Bank).

“Maharashtra is the first state in India to become an economy of $500 billion. The Institutional Capacity Building Project was launched to promote district-level development recommended by the Maharashtra Economic Development Advisory Council (headed by Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekhar). With this, the districts will be made the focus of development and income growth. The state government will get funds worth Rs 1,562 crore from the World Bank for this project,” said the Chief Minister, who was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

MITRA CEO Praveen Pardeshi said that the Maharashtra Resilient Development Program will be implemented with the help of the World Bank to control the flood situation in the Krishna Bhima basin, especially in Kolhapur and Sangli districts.

This project is worth Rs 3200 crore, out of which financial assistance of Rs 2240 crore will be available from the World Bank.

The Chief Minister’s Office in a release said that during the MITRA meeting a detailed discussion took place on increasing the state growth rate to 17.55 per cent by 2028 and also of investment to 37 per cent of the gross state domestic product.

“Maharashtra becoming a $1 trillion will play an important role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of India becoming a $5 trillion economy. MITRA should focus on various projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan area, including Mumbai,” said the Chief Minister.

He also asked MITRA to do research on climate change, new experiments in the agricultural sector and how to promote organic farming in the state.

He added that the state government has given revised administration approval to 123 irrigation projects and it was making all efforts for completion of these projects which will ultimately benefit the farmers.

“The Chief Minister said that the state government is also making efforts to provide solar power to the agricultural sector with the proposed generation of 9,200 MW through solar.

Moreover, the MITRA board also approved the innovative State Data Policy to use statistical information for development works.