New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the AAP government's target is to raise Delhi's per capita income to Singapore's level by 2047 and while it is already undertaking a lot of initiative for such a growth, a major stumbling block is the lack of land and in this regard, the Centre's help is paramount.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Sisodia said the national capital's growth rate has reached 11-12 per cent in the last six years and the per capita income is three times the national average.
"Delhi's contribution to the country's GDP is 4.4 per cent despite having only 1.49 per cent of the country's population. Delhi's per capita income is 3 lakh 54 thousand, which is three times the national per capita income standard, Sisodia said during a virtual meeting headed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday evening.
The deputy chief minister said the service sector accounts for 85 per cent of Delhi's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the Delhi government's special focus is on health, education and environment.
"Lack of land with the Delhi government is the biggest challenge in the all-round development of Delhi and it expects cooperation from the central government," Sisodia said.
On the infrastructure front, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is redesigning 540 km roads in Delhi on a Rs 11,000 crore budget and these world-class roads will be celebrated all over the world.
The Delhi government is currently funding this project with its own funds, but it expects the Centre to contribute as well. Sisodia also apprised the Union finance minister that his government intends to make the city country's e-vehicle capital but it requires the Centre and DDA's cooperation in this direction because the DDA owns the majority of the land in Delhi.
The Delhi government has purchased 1,000 e-buses in order to reduce pollution. In the coming days, the Delhi government intends to purchase 4,000-5,000 e-buses, for which the central government will indeed be required to cooperate, Sisodia in the statement.
He said the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has given land to private trusts to build hospitals in recent years, but these trusts have not been able to use the allotted land.
He said to build a college or university in Delhi, the state government has to purchase land from DDA at higher prices. If DDA changes its policy with the intervention of the central government, it will be of great help, the statement said.
According to government data, the city has 29 planned industrial areas and four flatted factory complexes. There are also 25 non-conforming industrial clusters. The central government should conform these areas as soon as possible so that they can contribute to the growth of Delhi, he said in the statement.
He also said Delhi is leading in Ease of Doing Business and the government has repealed 454 old rules from 16 departments.