UP’s $1 trillion target gathers steam

State government has operationalised the UP State Transformation Commission and tasked it with the job of catalysing growth. Virendra Singh Rawat writes

- Virendra Singh Rawat

Uttar Pradesh (UP), India’s most populous state, is targeting trebling its gross state domestic product (GSDP) to become a $1 trillion economy by 2030, and a $6 trillion economy by 2047.

The state government has tasked the Uttar Pradesh State Transformation Commission (STC) with the job of catalysing growth through innovation, collaboration, and harmony among state departments.

The STC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Singh, the organisation's first, is excited about his job — transforming the development landscape of the state, which aspires to catch up with its more developed peers.

Singh retired as chief secretary to the state government on July 31.

The STC is likely to select 100 key projects each in the government and private sectors for monitoring, while there are plans to set up a State Data Authority.

It will collate data with government departments, vet the data, and leverage it for policy making while ensuring that data privacy is protected.

The STC will foster optimum utilisation of the state's financial resources through public-private partnership (PPP), economic reforms, and a periodic evaluation of key projects.

The commission, which is designated as a knowledge hub and resource centre, will also leverage information technology and digital technology communication tools to realise its objectives.