Gujarat Govt Prioritised Welfare Activities through Urban Development & People-Centric Governance

Gujarat government has prioritized welfare activities through well-planned urban development and citizen-oriented governance, said Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Sunday. His remarks came during the seventh NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting in New Delhi, which was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Under the guidance of PM Modi, Gujarat has ranked first in various indices of the Central government on good governance, logistics performance, energy and climate, export readiness, and sustainable goal," Patel was quoted as saying in a release issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

He stated that the state government has prioritized welfare activities through well-planned urban development and citizen-oriented governance by ensuring rapid urban development. Gujarat has created a three-tiered city development roadmap.

In terms of urban development initiatives, Patel stated that the Online Development Permit System (ODPS 2.0) aids in the expedited processing of plan approval across cities. Under this initiative, he said, approximately one lakh development clearances have been granted in the last two years.

Gujarat has also achieved crop diversification in accordance with the Centre's policy, most notably in horticulture. In 25 years, the state's horticulture crop coverage has increased from 4.80 lakh hectares to 20 lakh hectares, according to Patel.

Since 2014-15, Gujarat has been implementing digital agriculture for various welfare schemes via the I-KHEDUT portal to facilitate online applications to sanction and pay farmers. So far, 61 lakh farmers and cattle breeders have been covered, he said.

Beginning this year, the government will develop a curriculum for state agricultural universities at the graduate and post-graduate levels to promote natural farming. So far, 5.50 lakh farmers have received natural farming training, according to the CM.

According to Patel, the government has also begun to promote the use of "nano urea" in agriculture through drone technology. The government intends to cover 1.40 lakh acres with nano urea, with 50,000 acres sprayed in collaboration with IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative).

Gujarat has taken the lead by forming task forces in 2020 to ensure proper implementation of various recommendations made under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, according to Patel. During the school year 2022-23, he said, more than 5.72 lakh children, including 1,775 children with special needs, were enrolled.

Gujarat has developed a data-driven Vidya Sameeksha Kendra since 2021, in accordance with the NEP-2020 recommendation of a technology-based monitoring system.

Patel also discussed the G-Shala App, the first-of-its-kind e-content application with a Learning Management System in Gujarati. According to him, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has accredited 22 universities and 467 colleges in Gujarat. Many Gujarati institutions have also made it to the top 100 in the NIRF (National Institute Ranking Framework) rankings, according to the CM.