Aizawl, Oct 14 Mizoram has set a target of contributing one per cent to India’s GDP by 2047, Chief Minister Lalduhoma said on Wednesday, outlining an ambitious vision for the state’s economic transformation.
In an interview with PTI, Lalduhoma also said his party, the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), was likely to contest the 2028 Assembly elections on its own, without joining either the NDA or the INDIA bloc.
The chief minister said Mizoram was hosting around 40,000 people displaced from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur, describing their presence as a burden on the state.
He expressed hope that they would return to their native places once the geopolitical situation improved.
“As we all know, the country will celebrate 100 years of Independence in 2047, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is projecting India to be a developed nation by then. So, side by side, we will also have to transform Mizoram, and the vision is very ambitious,” Lalduhoma said.
“Our vision is to contribute one per cent of the country’s GDP by that time. So, it’s going to be a long journey. It will take another 20 years more,” he added.
Mizoram’s gross state domestic product (GSDP) is projected to reach Rs 43,817.09 crore in the 2026-27 financial year, an increase of Rs 4,290.67 crore, or 10.85 per cent, over the previous year.
Lalduhoma said the vision was aimed at future generations, particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
“By that time (2047), I don’t know how many people from now will be there on this planet, but this vision is meant for our Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha,” he said.
On the ZPM’s political alignment ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections, Lalduhoma said the decision would depend on the situation and would be taken by the party leadership.
“As of now, we stand on our own legs. We are a traditional party with a national outlook, giving full cooperation to the central government. At the same time, we also expect the same thing from them. We are maintaining a good relationship with the Centre,” he said.
Asked specifically about the next Assembly elections, he said, “In the next election also, it is likely that we will fight alone.”
On the issue of displaced people from neighbouring regions, Lalduhoma said most had come from Myanmar, while others had arrived from Manipur and Bangladesh. Altogether, at any point in time, we have around 40,000 people who have been displaced.
The state had identified them through a biometric identification system, he said, adding that the government was providing food, essential services and education for their children.
“It is a lot of burden for us. We have to feed them, we have to serve them, and to some extent, we have to educate their children also,” he said.
He said their return would depend on the situation in their places of origin and asserted that they would not be granted permanent citizenship in Mizoram.
Lalduhoma said the Centre had extended cooperation to the state in dealing with the situation, particularly Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
On the proposed fencing of the international border with Myanmar, he said the state government and civil society groups opposed the move because they considered the people across the border to belong to the same ethnic community.
“It is only because of the divide and rule policy of the British that we have been divided into three countries – India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. So, in the mind of every Mizo, there is a hope that one day all the Mizos divided into three different countries will be united. We will be united under a common umbrella of administration – I also have it in my vision,” he said.
Asked whether the state had a strategy to prevent further arrivals, Lalduhoma said it was not possible to stop people from entering, citing humanitarian considerations.
“Human consideration has to be there. The government of India also understands the problem. And we do not stop them (refugees). But whenever the situation becomes normal, they go there by their own decision. Till then, we have to keep them here,” the CM said.
On the state’s finances, the chief minister said his government had inherited substantial committed liabilities from the previous administration and had introduced austerity measures, including cuts in facilities for ministers, MLAs and officials.
“So, the first thing we did was to take austerity measures. The ministers and the MLAs curtailed their facilities. We also reduced some facilities for our officials,” he added.
The CM said the state government has been able to recover most of the “committed liabilities” and only “a few crores” were remaining.
On the border dispute with Assam, Lalduhoma said both governments had agreed to maintain the status quo in disputed areas and avoid provocation.
“Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and I have committed that there should not be any provocation from any side as long as we are here together. This is the commitment between the two leaders. So, we maintain peace,” he added.
He said the two states had also decided to organise a border festival involving artistes and other stakeholders from both sides, and work towards an agreement to promote tourism jointly.
(PTI News)
