Imphal, Sep 30 — Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said that the state government would soon launch the State Institute of Transformation (SIT) under NITI Aayog to formulate strategies for the state's development, officials said.
The Chief Minister made the statement during a meeting with NITI Aayog Member Joram Aniya, who concluded her four-day visit to Manipur on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister and the NITI Aayog Member discussed various issues concerning Manipur and the state's development priorities, a senior official said.
Aniya, who visited Manipur from September 27 to 30, held discussions with state government officials and visited various institutions and developmental sites to gain first-hand insight into the state's priorities, ongoing initiatives and key challenges.
She also met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and subsequently convened a meeting at the Civil Secretariat in Imphal with Chief Secretary Rajeev Singh Thakur and senior officials of the departments of Tourism, Art and Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, and School Education.
During the review meeting, the departments presented an overview of their respective sectors, highlighting recent initiatives, upcoming projects and key operational challenges.
Following the presentations, directions were issued to the departments of Tourism, Art and Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, School Education, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Health, and Agriculture and Allied sectors to ensure meticulous planning of developmental programmes.
The departments were also asked to align and converge existing schemes and programmes with the broader national objective of achieving a 'Viksit Bharat', the official said.
During her visit, Aniya visited Ima Keithel (Mother's Market) in Imphal and interacted with representatives of the Kheithel Imas.
She also witnessed a polo exhibition match and interacted with polo players at the Mapal Kangjeibung Polo Ground.
Later, she visited the Marjing Polo Complex, including the sacred site of Ebudhou Marjing, where she offered prayers.
As part of her field visit, Aniya visited different districts and interacted with beneficiaries and officials associated with various development initiatives supported under NITI Aayog.
In Chandel district, she visited the District Training Centre and Library at the district headquarters.
A tree plantation programme was also undertaken at the training centre.
The District Training Centre, along with accommodation facilities, was constructed under NITI Aayog's 2022-23 programme, while the library building was constructed under the 2021-22 programme.
Aniya, who holds the rank of the Minister of State, had earlier visited other Northeastern states, including Tripura and Mizoram.
In Mizoram, she addressed a NITI Aayog Regional Workshop for the Northeastern Region on "Strengthening State Institutions for Transformation to Drive Viksit North East Region".