VISAKHAPATNAM: A long-term growth strategy for Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district was discussed at a stakeholder consultation involving NITI Aayog, Union government ministries, the district administration and IIM Visakhapatnam on Friday.
Collector T Nishanthi, NITI Aayog Member Dr Balasubramanian, senior Union government officials, district officials and the IIM Visakhapatnam team participated in the meeting, which examined recommendations from the ‘District as Fulcrum of Growth’ study.
The discussions focused on developing a place-based growth framework suited to the district’s tribal population, hilly terrain, dispersed habitations and ecological sensitivity. The proposed ‘Growth Hub-and-Spoke’ model envisages Paderu as the main growth hub, supported by mandal- and cluster-level centres connected to remote habitations through improved physical and digital connectivity.
Participants discussed improving value chains through Farmer Producer Organisations, post-harvest infrastructure, processing, storage, certification and market linkages. For forest produce, the focus was on local processing, better price discovery and greater participation of tribal communities.
The meeting also examined skill development opportunities in coffee and food processing, non-timber forest produce, eco-tourism, renewable energy, digital services and agri-technology. The proposed development of 17 Viksit Panchayats as demonstration sites for participatory planning, scheme convergence, livelihoods and digital governance was also discussed.
Participants stressed outcome-based planning for connectivity and healthcare, including travel time, access to markets and services.