Govt sets ambitious targets under Vikasit Maha mission

The Vikasit Maharashtra @2047 mission document was presented before the chief minister in two parts recently, said officials

Mumbai: The Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government is aiming to add $3.5 trillion to the state’s economy over the next 22 years to make Maharashtra a $5-trillion economy by 2047. The government has set ambitious targets in at least 16 sectors to achieve the goal over three phases – by 2029, 2035 and 2047 – and department heads have been instructed to design their plan budgets accordingly, officials familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times.

Agriculture, which employs 42% of the state’s workforce and contributes ₹4 lakh crore to the state’s GDP, is a key sector under the mission (Hindustan Times)

“The Vikasit Maharashtra @2047 mission document was presented before the chief minister in two parts recently. The CM accordingly directed various departments to set their targets for the next 22 years,” said a senior official who was involved in presenting the document before Fadnavis.

Policing has been identified as a key sector under the mission and the target conviction rate for major crimes has been set at 50% for 2029 and 95% for 2047, up from the current 15%. Expenditure on police training is set for a major hike, from the current 0.8% to 10% of the total police budget by 2047, while the police response time is set to reduce from 10 minutes now to less than 4 minutes in 2047.

Agriculture, which employs 42% of the state’s workforce and contributes ₹4 lakh crore to the state’s GDP, is another key sector under the mission. The per capita income of farmers, at ₹1.8 lakh, lags far behind the per capita income in the services sector at ₹11.7 lakh and in industries at ₹8.3 lakh, according to the presentation made before the chief minister. Per capita farm income would rise to ₹25 lakh by 2047 via diversification into high value commodities, enhanced productivity and export, boost to dairy development and hike in marine products and fish production, the presentation said.

Urbanisation is another thrust area under the Vikasit Maharashtra mission. The extent of urbanisation in the state is currently at 49%, which will rise to 67% by 2047, coinciding with the GDP contribution from urban areas at $3,500 billion and the per capita income in urban areas at $39,000. At least one city in the state would make it to the list of 50 most liveable cities in the world by 2029, two by 2035 and more than three by 2047. Metro rail networks would also be expanded to more than 500 km in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), 250 km in Pune, 90 km in Nagpur, and 105 km in Nashik, the presentation said.

“We have also set a target of constructing around 7 million affordable homes in the state by 2047, including 2.5 million homes in MMR, 1 million in Pune, 500,000 in Nashik, and 300,000 in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. These cities would also require around 60,000 clean energy buses in the next 22 years,” said an official from Mantralaya, on condition of anonymity.

Health is another key area under the mission, as the government wants to reduce the infant mortality rate from 16 (per 1,000 live births) now to just two by 2047. It also aims to establish medical colleges in all districts by 2029, develop a self-sufficient medical education ecosystem by 2047, and increase the number of medical tourists from 80,000 per year now to 1 million per year by 2047.

Other goals under the Vikasit Maharashtra @2047 mission include extending tap water access to 100% of the rural population from the current 88% and increasing irrigation coverage from 44% to 70% of the total cropped area over the next 22 years.