Chief Minister Shri Lal Thanhawla, yesterday convened the first meeting of the Core Committee of the state’s new comprehensive growth strategy – the New Economic Development Policy (NEDP) at his Office. The Committee which has senior Ministers as Members deliberated on the draft sectoral allocation plan for 2016-17 and discussed 6 Public Policy Reforms Agenda proposed for the current financial year under NEDP.
Chairing the meeting Shri Lal Thanhawla said the current flagship programme of the government – NLUP has given birth to this new policy and one of its aims is to lead Mizoram from a subsistence based economy to a market based economy. He further added that NLUP has brought a number of visible improvements and changes and has generated sustainable means of livelihoods and opened new avenues for the people. This success of NLUP needs to be augmented, supplemented and converged wherever possible within NEDP, he said. He pointed that NEDP had earned praise from various quarters of society and the people have a lot of hope and aspiration from the new policy.
While discussing the outlay of financial resources for important key drivers during the current financial year, the Members highlighted important areas of the economy and critical infrastructure that need intervention in order to drive the growth story of the state. The meeting also deliberated on six key agendas outlined under Public Policy Reforms for the current fiscal year.
Among the key sectoral interventions identified for 2016-17 are Agriculture/Horticulture Link Roads, introduction of annual agriculture/horticulture crops with high domestic consumption and other high value crops, improving processing facilities and marketing linkages for agricultural and horticultural produce by establishing rice mills, market yards, etc., establishment of handloom export promotion facility, establishment of skills development centre, entrepreneurship development programmes, providing support to viable startup businesses, steps to improve ease of doing business to attract investment from outside the state, improvement in the health services by augmenting existing facilities and procurement of needy diagnostic tools and machines for the District Hospitals, improvement of urban and rural infrastructure, establishment of additional classrooms in higher secondary and model schools to meet the growing demand for admission into government run higher secondary schools and improvement in road infrastructure in some of the remote MLA constituencies and launching of Chief Minister’s Rural Housing Scheme to improve habitations of the economically weaker sections of the society in rural areas.
The meeting stressed upon the need to develop private-public partnerships with interested individuals or groups for adding value addition to various agricultural, horticultural and other produce. The meeting also discussed the importance of improving upon the existing skill development programmes introduction of entrepreneurship programmes targeted at the youth.
Under the Public Reforms Policy, the meeting decided to establish an Administrative Reforms Committee to be headed by the Chief Secretary to look at mechanisms for bettering governance and administration. The meeting also decided that a Committee to look into Land Use and Land Holding Pattern be established under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. For reforms in Public Financial Management, the Core Committee decided to prepare an Approach Paper while the responsibility of drafting the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy was given to the concerned Department. On the Skills Development Policy, the meeting felt wider discussions were needed and no decision was taken. The meeting also agreed to go ahead with the strengthening of official data and statistics.
Besides, NEDP Core Committee NEDP Executive Committee headed by the Chief Secretary and Monitoring and Evaluation Committee headed by Vice Chairman, Mizoram State Planning Board have been set up. The government has earmarked Rs. 270 crores during the current financial year for NEDP.
NEDP Core Committee was attended by Agriculture Minister Shri R. Lalzirliana; Finance Minister Shri Lalsawta; Industries & Commerce Minister Shri H. Rohluna; UD&PA Minister Shri Zodintluanga; Horticulture Minister Shri P.C. Lalthanliana; Mizoram State Planning Board Vice Chairman Shri H. Liansailova; Chief Secretary Shri Lalmalsawma; Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shri Lal Ramthanga; Planning Secretary Dr. C. Vanlalramsanga and senior officers of the Planning and Programme Implementation Department.
