NITI Aayog delegation meets UP CM; Joint Working group to identify action points for development

New Delhi, May 11 (KNN) Lending support to UP Government in laying out a roadmap for the State’s development, a 17-member delegation led by Vice Chairman NITI Aayog, Dr. Arvind Panagariya, met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other top State officials in Lucknow on Wednesday.

After the meeting, it was decided that a Joint Working Group will be set up with three members from NITI Aayog (Member Ramesh Chand, CEO Amitabh Kant, and Adviser Alok Kumar) and three members from the State government (Minister of Health, Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Planning).

The joint working group will prepare a roadmap and identify action points for the development of UP within the next 15 days. Respective departments of the State Government will then implement these action points.

Adityanath, sought the cooperation of NITI Aayog and the Central Government and recommended that habitations with populations between 250 and 499 be taken up for connectivity with all-weather roads.

He has also suggested that the BPL survey be conducted once every five years. The Chief Minister has also asked for extension of the Bundelkhand package and special assistance in areas of the State where drinking water has been affected by arsenic and fluoride contamination.

Members of the high-level delegation made a series of presentations on addressing key developmental needs of the State across sectors.  

 Dr. Panagariya, suggested important recommendations for the overall transformation of Uttar Pradesh, while Kant, presented a detailed picture of the state’s current status. NITI Aayog Member, Ramesh Chand, laid down the significance of Agricultural Growth for Economic Transformation of Uttar Pradesh. 

Opportunities for the State by focusing on the Ease of Doing Business and the Start-up program were presented by DIPP Secretary. Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Amarjeet Sinha made critical recommendations focusing on Mission Antyodaya and other key rural development schemes.

Important recommendations on improving health outcomes in UP were jointly presented by Adviser, Health, NITI Aayog, Alok Kumar and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Manoj Jhalani. Joint Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Dr. Rajesh Kumar detailed the measures that ought to be taken to address major challenges in fighting malnutrition among the State’s children.

Efforts to be taken in order to better education outcomes in UP were outlined by Advsier HRD, NITI Aayog, Maninder Kaur Dwivedi. Joint Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Arun Baroka, made the presentation on improving implementation of  Swacch Bharat Mission.