Roadmap of Developed Rajasthan@2047 being prepared: Raj CM at NITI Aayog meeting

Jaipur, July 28 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma attended the ninth Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and presented the roadmap for 'Developed Rajasthan@2047' before the Council. 

Sharma said the state government has taken 10 resolutions in the budget for 2024-25 to realise the concept of Developed Rajasthan @ 2047, which includes important components like making Rajasthan a $350 billion economy in the next five years, development of infrastructure, urban, rural and regional and human resources, empowerment of farmers, promotion of MSMEs and heritage conservation as well as health for all, and good governance.

The state government has also taken many important and decisive steps in the field of electricity as soon as it took charge, the Chief Minister said. 

"We have signed MoUs worth Rs 1,50,000 crore with central undertakings like NTPC, NTPC Green, Coal India, NLC, and REC under which 32000 MW of electricity will be produced, which will prove to be important in making Rajasthan self-reliant in the field of energy," he said.

On the Rajasthan Refinery Project being set up in the state, the Chief Minister requested the Central government that the increased cost of the project of Rs 72,937 crore should be approved soon so that the refinery work can be completed.

Sharma, while mentioning the role of tourism in the development of Rajasthan, said that religious tourism has a very big role in the state, so Central cooperation is very important for the development of the religious sites. 

Sharma also said that the state government has taken many important and decisive steps in the field of electricity as soon as it took charge. 

"The state government has allotted land for a 2,950 MW solar project and issued LOIs for 4,386 MW capacity in a short period of seven months under the PM Kusum Yojana. Along with this, 4 lakh registrations have been done under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana and more than 1 lakh applications have been received so far," he said.

At the meeting, the Chief Minister expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) and the Yamuna Water Agreement, saying that with the initiative of the Prime Minister, the Centre has fulfilled the dream of 3.25 crore people of 21 districts of the state. 

Along with this, to ensure water security in Rajasthan, a target has been set to provide water to 25 lakh houses by spending Rs 15,000 crore this year under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Talking about the state government's constant focus on the health sector, Sharma said, "Our government has made a provision of Rs 27,660 crore in the budget for the expansion of medical facilities, which is 8.26 per cent of the state budget. Similarly, the 'Mukhyamantri Ayushman Arogya Yojana' has been started in February. The number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras has also been increased significantly so that medicines can be made accessible to the common man."

Highlighting the work being done by the government to increase the pace of development in Rajasthan, the Chief Minister said the state government has started operating primary classes in 134 government Swami Vivekananda model schools to strengthen school education while virtual online labs are being set up in 402 PM Shri schools.

The Chief Minister also gave detailed information about the development-oriented programmes in the state as he requested the necessary cooperation from the Central government. 

He said it is necessary to take a decision soon regarding filling the Bhakra and Pong dams to their full capacity so that the state can easily get its share of water. 

He also urged to extend the period of the Jal Jeevan Mission till March 2027. 

To ensure energy security in Rajasthan, he requested the Central government to increase the target of 2 lakh solar pumps allotted to the state under Component-C of the PM Kusum Yojana to 6 lakh.