CM Patel chairs first meeting of Governing Body of Gujarat State Institution for Transformation

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], December 9 : The first meeting of the Governing Body of the Gujarat Institution for Transformation (GRIT) was held in Gandhinagar, chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a press release said on Monday.
The meeting addressed GRIT's expanded role and organisational arrangements. GRIT's newly appointed CEO, S. Aparna, provided an overview of the initial actions and vision for the institution.
GRIT will function as the state government's think tank and innovation hub, collaborating with various departments to create an action plan for implementing the recommendations of the state government's Task Force Committee.
While addressing the meeting, CM Patel suggested that GRIT focus on analysing the social impact and benefits of state and central government welfare schemes through data analysis.
Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, Health Minister Rushikesh Patel, Industries Minister Balvantsinh Rajput, Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel, and Education Minister Kuber Dindor also participated in the meeting.
A key discussion point was the expansion of the Growth Hub Model, initially implemented in Surat by NITI Aayog. It was proposed that GRIT play a role in institutionalizing and gradually expanding this model to other regions of the state.
An MOU was signed between IIM Ahmedabad and GRIT during the meeting, to utilize IIM Ahmedabad's knowledge, skills, expertise, and network to tackle key state government issues and schemes.
The MOU was signed by S. Aparna and IIM Ahmedabad Director Bharat Bhasker, in the presence of CM Patel, Ministers, and IIM Ahmedabad Chairman Pankaj Patel. Also attending the meeting were the Chief Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister Dr Hasmukh Adhia, Chief Secretary Raj Kumar, Additional Chief Secretaries to the Chief Minister, Pankaj Joshi and M. K. Das, Principal Secretary of the Finance Department Dr. T. Natarajan, and Secretary to the Chief Minister Avantika Singh.