Jharkhand Deserves Recognition as a Growth Engine of Viksit Bharat 2047, not just mineral hub: CM Hemant Soren

Ranchi: Chief Minister Hemant Soren presented Jharkhand’s development vision at the 11th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi, stressing that the state’s mineral wealth would be meaningful only when linked with human capital, education, healthcare and skill development.

He said Jharkhand should not be viewed merely as a supplier of minerals but as an active partner in India’s development journey and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Soren reiterated the state’s commitment to transforming mineral-rich Jharkhand into a manufacturing hub, green economy and knowledge economy. He advocated for greater investment in textiles, electronics, green energy, logistics and agro-food processing, while seeking the Centre’s support for developing industries based on critical minerals, as well as research, innovation and knowledge centres. He also highlighted efforts to promote AI-based mineral exploration and sustainable mining practices to generate employment and industrial growth.

The Chief Minister said that despite 15,000 of the state’s 38,000 Anganwadi centres lacking their own buildings, nutrition indicators have improved through the Poshan Abhiyan and the SAAMAR programme. He noted that children are being provided eggs daily and that the state government is constructing 5,000 new Anganwadi buildings from its own resources.

Highlighting progress in education, Soren said students from the state’s CM Schools of Excellence are now securing admissions in IITs and medical colleges. He informed the council that the government is working towards establishing 5,000 model schools and requested the Centre to increase the number of PM SHRI schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas in Jharkhand. He also sought the establishment of a regional NCERT centre in the state.

Soren said healthcare services are being expanded to the grassroots level, with 1,276 medicine outlets currently operating in rural areas. He urged the Centre to expedite approvals for increasing undergraduate and postgraduate seats in medical colleges and informed the meeting that the state is working on an AI-based digital health profile system.

Soren further sought relaxation and simplification of land-related approval procedures in areas falling under the command zones of organisations such as DVC, CCL and ECL, saying such measures would help strengthen social infrastructure and accelerate development in mineral-bearing districts