Press Information Bureau

A one-day Regional Workshop under the State Support Mission (SSM) was held in Dehradun on 2^nd June 2025. This workshop was organised by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the State Institute for Empowering and Transforming Uttarakhand (SETU) Aayog, Government of Uttarakhand. This regional workshop is the first in a series under the Central Sector Scheme to foster structured engagement between NITI Aayog and States/UTs through State Institutions for Transformation (SITs). The objective of this workshop was to bring together States and UTs to share their experience on SSM initiatives and learn from each other.

The inaugural session was graced by Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog; Shri Raj Shekhar Joshi, Vice Chairperson, SETU Aayog; Shri Anand Bardhan, Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand; Shri Shatrughna Singh, CEO, SETU Aayog and senior officers from NITI Aayog, who emphasised the crucial role of State Institutions for Transformation in the growth of States and steering the State visions. Senior officers from Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Uttarakhand also participated in the deliberations.

The workshop saw session focused on the role of State Institutions for Transformation (SITs) in achieving state and national goals moderated by Dr. R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Principal Secretary of Planning, Uttarakhand. Panelists including Ms. S. Aparna (CEO, GRIT, Gujarat), Shri Alok Kumar (Principal Secretary, Uttar Pradesh), and Dr. Sampath Kumar (Development Commissioner, Meghalaya) shared key insights on the structure of SITs, guiding principles, and priority areas, highlighting their role in supporting State vision and aligning with national priorities to drive socio-economic transformation.

The second session chaired by Shri Praveen Pardeshi, Chief Economic Advisor to CM of Maharashtra and CEO, Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA), Maharashtra, featured rich peer-learning with interventions and presentations from senior officers and SIT/Planning representatives from Punjab, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh on the status of their SITs, structure and composition, priority areas, etc.

The session on data-driven governance highlighted platforms like the NITI for States Portal and Viksit Bharat Strategy Room at NITI Aayog for evidence-based decision making. DG, Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (BIPARD), Gaya and senior officer from Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie shared practical examples of integrating data governance into training for policymakers.

The regional workshop addressed critical priorities like Climate Mitigation, Monitoring & Evaluation, State Vision Formulation, Capacity Building, offering States and UTs a platform to reflect on SIT implementation, share key insights and foster collaboration.

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MJPS/SR/SKS