Gandhinagar, June 17 (IANS) The Gujarat government on Wednesday signed a strategic partnership agreement with Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) for long-term financing of up to Rs one lakh crore for major infrastructure projects across the state, while also entering into a separate agreement with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) to provide technical and planning support for projects under the ‘Viksit Gujarat 2047’ vision.

The memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who described the partnership as “an important step” towards achieving the goal of ‘Viksit Gujarat 2047’ and aligning it with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.

According to the state government, HUDCO will provide long-term funding for infrastructure projects being implemented by various government departments.

The financing arrangement is the outcome of recent high-level discussions between Chief Secretary M. K. Das and senior HUDCO officials on ensuring adequate funding for large-scale infrastructure development initiatives in the state.

Projects proposed to be covered under the funding arrangement include Gujarat Metro Rail Phases 2 and 3, expressways, sports infrastructure and the development of modern infrastructure in Dholera.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed confidence that the partnership would advance infrastructure development, urban regeneration and overall economic growth in Gujarat.

Alongside the financing agreement, the state government signed a separate MoU with IIM Ahmedabad under which the institute will undertake pre-feasibility studies, feasibility studies, detailed project reports and impact assessments for projects planned under the ‘Viksit Gujarat 2047’ framework.

The studies are intended to support the effective implementation of various development projects envisaged under the long-term vision document.

The MoU with HUDCO was signed by Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Kulshrestha on behalf of the corporation and by Sandeep Kumar, Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Finance Department, on behalf of the Gujarat government.

The signed documents were subsequently exchanged between the two sides.

The agreement with IIM Ahmedabad was signed by Prof Sandip Chakrabarti, Chairperson of the institute’s Public Systems Group. Finance Minister Kanu Desai and Minister of State, Kamlesh Patel, attended the signing ceremony.

Also present were Chief Secretary M. K. Das, Chief Minister’s Adviser S. S. Rathore, Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department T. Natarajan, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjeev Kumar, Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr Vikrant Pandey, Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar and other senior officials.

The state government said the agreements are aimed at supporting the planning, financing and implementation of key infrastructure and development projects.

–IANS

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