Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma attended the 10th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog,
New Delhi: Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma attended the 10th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday. During the meeting, he requested the central government to take action regarding the Pong Dam. He pointed out that although the total filling capacity of Pong Dam is allowed up to 1,400 feet, even during sufficient rainfall, the dam is not being filled to its maximum capacity. Sharma urged that a decision should be made soon to fill the Pong Dam to its full capacity so that the partner states can receive their full share of water. Additionally, he requested approval for the lining of the 51.5 km-long Ferozepur feeder.
Sharma also sought relaxation in setting up additional units at the Kalisindh and Chhabra thermal projects and a new 3,200 MW thermal unit in the state, citing the distance of more than 500 km from the pithead. He further requested the availability of 20 lakh metric tonnes of coal, currently supplied from the South Eastern Coalfields, from the Northern Coalfields instead. To improve energy security in Rajasthan, the Chief Minister urged the Central Government to allocate an additional target of 5,000 MW of energy generation and 5,000 MW-hour of battery storage under Component-A of the PM Kusum Yojana. He also requested an immediate plan for the evacuation of an additional 40 GW of energy to meet the target of 115 GW power generation allotted to Rajasthan.
The Chief Minister assured the meeting that the state government is fully committed to realising the goal of making Rajasthan a developed state. He said that under the guidance and leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is steering the state forward on the path of progress.
Sharma discussed in detail the efforts being made to fulfill the vision of a developed Rajasthan and requested further cooperation from the central government to ensure water and energy security in the state. He stated that the government is working rapidly on every front to achieve the goal of developed Rajasthan. In line with this, a ‘Developed Rajasthan @ 2047’ vision document is being prepared following the guidelines of NITI Aayog, focusing on economic prosperity, sustainable development, and inclusive progress.
Expressing gratitude to Modi for concretising the Ramjal Setu Link Project and the Yamuna Water Agreement, Sharma said these water projects will play an important role in achieving the vision of a developed Rajasthan.
The Chief Minister emphasised that investment is crucial for the state’s progress. To promote this, the government successfully organised the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit in its first year and received investment proposals worth more than Rs 35 lakh crore, with projects worth over Rs 3.25 lakh crore already underway. Sharma highlighted efforts towards inclusive development and employment generation through initiatives such as the One District One Product Policy 2024, MSME Policy 2024, Export
Promotion Policy 2024, Integrated Cluster Development Scheme, Textile and Apparel Policy 2025, Logistics Policy 2025, and Data Centre Policy 2025.
He also announced that an Ease of Doing Business-based Industrial Policy will soon be released, which will focus on research and development to promote green technology. Furthermore, a Rajasthan Trade Promotion Policy is being developed to boost the trading sector. Works worth more than Rs 2,000 crore have started for establishing 15 industrial areas, and 20 new industrial areas have been opened for land allotment, which will significantly enhance industrial development and growth in the state.
Sharma pointed out that Rajasthan is world-famous for its historical heritage, architecture, rich culture, glorious history, and natural beauty. Given tourism’s significant contribution to the state’s economy, a new tourism policy will be introduced soon to accelerate tourism development. He also mentioned the Atal Entrepreneurship Programme, launched to encourage the state’s youth to set up startups and become job creators.
The Chief Minister stated that timely recruitment examinations have been conducted, resulting in appointments for more than 67,000 posts, and the recruitment process for 1,87,000 posts is currently underway at various stages.
To make the state self-reliant in the energy sector, the government has taken important steps in renewable energy. Rajasthan has increased its renewable energy capacity by 10,000 megawatts and ranks first in the country in solar and renewable energy capacity.
