Visakhapatnam, commonly known as Vizag, has been designated as one of the pilot cities by Niti Aayog, as announced by Niti Aayog CEO, BVR Subrahmanyam.

The decision was made during a meeting held at the VMRDA (Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority) office, where representatives from GVMC (Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation), VMRDA, and the industries department were in attendance.

During the meeting, Mr. Subrahmanyam emphasized that Vizag is one of the fastest-growing cities in India. CM Saikanth Varma, the Commissioner of GVMC, delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining the city's developmental plans.

This initiative marks the inclusion of Vizag alongside Mumbai and Surat in the pilot phase of Niti Aayog's urban development efforts.

Mr. Subrahmanyam further highlighted that Vizag, with its abundance of natural resources and excellent connectivity through railways, ports, and airports, is poised to emerge as a developed city in the near future.

Recognizing the pivotal role of urbanization in driving economic growth and aligning with Niti Aayog's mission of promoting cooperative federalism, a program has been devised to focus on nurturing city-regions as centers of growth.

This initiative is a collaborative effort between Niti Aayog, state governments, and experts in various fields. Its primary objective is to formulate a robust economic growth strategy for city-regions across India and establish a roadmap to achieve these goals.

Niti Aayog will also establish a national advisory committee comprising renowned experts to provide guidance and expertise for this initiative.

In the initial phase, four city-regions will be chosen as pilot projects to develop a template for crafting economic strategies. This template will subsequently be expanded to encompass an additional 16 cities.

Moreover, the economic growth strategy developed through this initiative will serve as a model for other city-regions throughout the country to help them achieve their economic objectives.

The project will encompass a variety of activities, including a comprehensive assessment of each city region's economic landscape as a baseline for further development.