Infra, economy, health & edu Madhya Pradesh's priority

Bhopal: Even as it battles the Covid-19 pandemic, the Madhya Pradesh government is making plans for ‘transformation’ and is drawing up a blueprint for the future in a collaborative and consultative process along with NITI Aayog.

Four priority areas have been identified — physical infrastructure, governance, health and education, and economy and employment — and experts have been roped in to prepare a three-year action plan, said officials.

Work on the ‘transformational’ project has already begun despite the restrictions of Covid-19.

The first of the webinars for this was held on August 7 and three more are planned by August 11. Additional chief secretaries of home, public health, labour and Narmada Valley Development departments are leading the webinars.

These four priority groups are divided into 18 sub-groups, which comprise representatives from the Centre, NITI Aayog, NIPFP, premier academic institutions, public policy institutions, representatives of WHO, UNDP, World Bank and consultancy firms and private sector giants.

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis (AIGGPA) in Bhopal is playing a key coordinating role, including providing facilitators for each sub-group, said officials.

After brainstorming in their respective focus areas, the sub-groups are preparing action plans, with particular focus to outcomes and timelines. Measurable outcome indicators and KPIs will be proposed, along with short-term, medium-term and long-term targets.

In the end, the sub-groups will make presentations before CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The final blueprint will serve as a foundation for the state’s road map for inclusive growth for the next three years, say officials.

“While the erstwhile Planning Commission also undertook state consultations in the planning process, the difference here is that the state government is taking the lead, and the entire planning process has been decentralized,” said a government release. “Through direct engagement, NITI Aayog is fulfilling its mandate of cooperative federalism, complimenting the practical knowledge of states with perspectives from stakeholders at the cutting edge of development,” it added.