Bhubaneswar,Oct 16 (Odisha.in) Orissa has set an ambitious goal of achieving a growth rate of around 10 per cent and reduction of poverty by 10 per cent by 2020.
A draft “Vision Document 2020” being prepared by the state Planning Department for a faster growth in all sectors has been circulated at the first meeting of the reconstituted State Planning Board (SPB) Monday for preliminary discussion.
The meeting gave final touch to the Vision 2020 document, State Planning Board’s Deputy Chairman Bed Prakash Agrawal told Odisha.in.
The vision document among other things envisages annual growth rate over 4 per cent in agriculture and allied sector, which has been a neglected one to help achieve the projected overall growth rate.
Concerned over the fact that about 47.20 per cent population in Oirssaa lives below the poverty line, which being the highest headcount ratio among 15 major Indian states, the
Vision document proposed a speeder poverty reduction of additional 15 per cent by the end of the 11th Plan period – 2007-12 to help achieve the goal of over all reduction of poverty by ten per cent by 2020.
Presiding over the meeting, the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is also the Chairman of the State Planning Board, expressed his confidence that the Draft Vision document -2020, for Orissa will help state development endeavors during 11th plan period and beyond and asked the planners to help the government in setting realistic goals and evolve pragmatic strategies.
“Our state is now passing through a transition phase from an underdeveloped agrarian economy to rapidly growing Industrial economy, the Chief Minister said.
But he lamented, because of the traditional nature of the agricultural practice and rain fed condition under which it is mostly carried out the state economy has become vulnerable to frequent calamities, which has rendered the economic growth process erratic and slow.
“The answer to this development dilemma lies in rapid diversification of the economy and modernization of agriculture practices to make it more productive and income generating for our farmers “, he said
He said, during the first four years of 10th plan an average annual growth rate of 7.26 per cent has been achieved in the Orissa’s economy which is higher than the growth rate of 5.2 per cent realized during the 9th plan period.
The main constituent of this robust growth is the high growth rate of 11.34 per cent achieved in the Industry and Minerals sectors which is clearly a positive outcome of the rapid industrialization process initiated in the state during the past few years, he pointed out.
Odisha.in