Mumbai, Apr 20 (PTI) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday directed all departments to prepare time-bound, concrete action plans aimed at reducing regional disparities as part of the ‘Viksit Maharashtra 2047’ vision.
Reviewing progress at a meeting of the Vision Management Board here, Fadnavis said bridging development gaps between regions must remain a key priority while ensuring equitable growth across districts, according to an official release.
“While Maharashtra’s per capita income is higher than the national average, there are 11 districts where it is below the national benchmark. These districts should be treated as engines of growth and brought into the mainstream to accelerate the state’s overall development,” he said.
He noted that on the lines of the Centre’s aspirational districts programme, Maharashtra has identified 10 aspirational districts and 174 aspirational talukas to ensure micro-level development.
Fadnavis also called for renewed efforts to improve the state’s standing on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators, where Maharashtra had earlier ranked fourth in 2018-19.
He directed the planning department to issue guidelines for the first phase of the action plan immediately, while asking the finance department to complete financial assessments of projects in coordination with all departments by April 30.
Emphasising resource mobilisation, the chief minister said departments must clearly outline funding sources, including Central and state schemes, district annual plans, Finance Commission grants, and internal and external borrowings.
Fadnavis underlined the need to improve the business climate.
“Ease of doing business must be strengthened. Policy decisions are needed to boost private investment, exports and consumption,” he said, adding that public-private partnerships and land value mechanisms should be leveraged more effectively.
He stressed the timely submission of utilisation certificates to secure higher Central funds and directed departments to clear pending submissions at the earliest.
Calling for better inter-departmental coordination, Fadnavis said each department must take ownership of its responsibilities and work in coordination. He also emphasised the need for a robust monitoring system to track progress regularly.
“To ensure alignment with the ‘Viksit Maharashtra’ vision, all new project proposals submitted to the government will be required to include a clear justification of how they contribute to the broader development goals,” he stated.
The chief minister added that planning carried out over the past year has now reached the implementation stage, and departments must focus seriously on execution to give a new direction to the state’s growth. PTI MR NSK
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