Create strategy and development commission in UP: BJP MLA to govt

Lucknow, Aug 21 (PTI) BJP MLA Rajeshwar Singh has proposed the creation of a "strategy and development commission" for long-term growth of Uttar Pradesh, which aspires to become a USD 1 trillion economy by 2030.

The legislator from the Sarojini Nagar assembly seat in UP has written a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday stating that such a body will not only strengthen the state's role as the "growth engine" of the country but also ensure that its development path is stable, innovative and globally competitive.

Such a commission will ensure continuity, vision, and expertise beyond bureaucratic and political systems as modern governance is shaped by complex, multi-sectoral challenges like digital transformation, artificial intelligence, electric mobility, semiconductor manufacturing, climate resilience, agricultural reforms and urbanisation, he said.

The MLA, a former ED officer and a Supreme Court lawyer, said there are examples across the globe that have demonstrated the value of institutionalised strategic advisory bodies like in the US, UK, China etc.

In India, he said, the NITI Aayog has been created at the central level while such bodies have been successful in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Singh reasoned that work done by global consultancy firms in this context in India were "insufficient" as they were "profit-driven" and not “driven by public interest, and often provide "generic" templates, which were insufficiently adapted to the social, cultural, and political context of Uttar Pradesh.

"For UP to achieve its USD 1 trillion ambition, it requires a statutory body with constitutional legitimacy and public accountability, not just outsourced studies.

"I, therefore, respectfully propose that the government establish a Uttar Pradesh Strategy and Development Commission (UP-SDC) through state legislation," he wrote.

The proposed commission could draw experts from the field of economics, technology, agriculture, law, education, health, infrastructure and industry while senior legislators and ex-officio bureaucrats can be its members, the letter said.

The body, once created, can prepare "long-term" vision documents for the state including 'UP Vision 2047' and conduct Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIA) and fiscal scoring of all major policies, the MLA suggested.

Such a commission will be able to create stronger, globally benchmarked policies across every major sector and provide greater credibility of UP's reforms in the eyes of investors, rating agencies, and global partners.

"This step will not only strengthen Uttar Pradesh's role as the growth engine of India but also ensure that our state's development path is stable, innovative and globally competitive," he stated. PTI NES SKY SKY