ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh government has unveiled plans to create the Institute for Transforming Arunachal (ITA), a think tank designed to steer policy direction and evaluate the impact of development initiatives. Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein announced the initiative during a meeting with a NITI Aayog delegation at the civil secretariat in Itanagar.
The ITA is meant to be a transformational leader for the state, with an emphasis on setting developmental goals (disha) and measuring their outcomes (dasha) to create effective policies. The institute will be built with technical and strategic support from NITI Aayog under its State Support Mission (SSM).
At the meeting, Mein showed gratitude towards NITI Aayog for its continuous efforts in promoting the socio-economic status of Arunachal Pradesh. He also appreciated the efforts of the organization in shaping policies, governance, and raising the aspirational district of Namsai and three other aspirational blocks.
The latest figures show an impressive growth in Arunachal Pradesh's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at 135% from Rs 20,373 crore in 2016 to Rs 47,823 crore in 2024. The state budget has grown by 218%, and GST revenues have grown by 584%. Infrastructure development has also made notable strides, with rural roads rising by 251% and the National Highway network by 143%.
In addition, the government has launched a few of the major initiatives, including Mission Shikshit Arunachal 2029, a Rs 3,000 crore initiative focused on the enforcement of the National Education Policy 2020 and increasing skill development. Financial Year 2025-26 termed as 'Year of Human Capital' with focus on investment in people, infrastructure, economy, and innovation. NITI Aayog Programme Director (Security & Law), Maj Gen (Retd) K Narayanan, suggested high-priority projects of tourism, infrastructure, governance, and digital India such as development of Si-Na-Li-Ta circuit and Zemithang model village.
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