The Maharashtra government has formed an 11-member committee headed by the Chief Secretary to review the implementation process, on behalf of the state government, of Niti Aayog’s plan to develop Mumbai Metropolitan Region as a growth hub.
The presentation in this regard from Niti Aayog before the Chief Minister, a month ago, had raised controversy in the state with the Opposition-especially Sena (UBT) chief and former CM Uddhav Thackeray terming it as a ploy to separate Mumbai from the rest of the state.
Principal Secretary (UD-1) will be member secretary of the committee, which comprises commissioners of BMC and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation; Managing Director of CIDCO; Principal Secretaries of UD-2, Tourism, Planning and Industries and CEO of Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA).
A special G-Hub crack unit will be set up under the chairmanship of the member secretary which will include at least one official from the above-mentioned departments. The member secretary will also play a coordination officer for the project to communicate with Niti Aayog.
Under Niti Aayog’s plan, other places selected for the pilot projects along with MMR are Surat, Vikhakhapattanam and Varanasi.
A delegation led by NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam made a presentation before the state government about the preparation of a master plan for Mumbai’s financial development, with the aim to increase the GDP of Mumbai Metropolitan region to $300 billion.
According to the presentation, the present GDP of MMR is $140 billion, which is bigger than that of Portugal, Columbia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Israel and Chile. ‘The population of Mumbai Metropolitan region has been growing by around 5 to 5.5 per cent for the past five years, and is expected to be around 2.70 crore by 2030. It needs an investment of around $150 billion to increase GDP,’ the presentation noted.
Maharashtra’s contribution to the country’s GDP is the highest at around 13 per cent. The presentation added that inclusive economic development of MMR matters more than focus on improving infrastructure. ‘Niti Aayog will present a plan over next four months for which a dedicated team needs to be prepared by the state government by appointing a nodal officer,’ it said, adding that other cities, too, are being developed along with Mumbai.
According to the presentation, focus will be on employment, infrastructure as well as adequate use of land and financial policy for economic development. It also pointed out that MMRDA’s role in supply of finances, setting up of infrastructure such as power, roads will also be vital.
