PM Modi chairs NITI Aayog meeting; Mamata, Kejriwal among 8 CMs who skipped
- In Reports
- 09:20 PM, May 27, 2023
- Myind Staff
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chaired the eighth Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi on Saturday, said the Centre, States and Union Territories should work as ‘Team India’ and fulfil the dreams and aspirations of people for a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
The PM highlighted the crucial role of NITI Aayog in assisting states in developing long-term strategies aligned with the national development agenda and urged states and UTs to work closely with NITI Aayog to propel the country towards ‘Amrit Kaal’, according to an official statement.
“NITI Aayog is taking multiple initiatives for strengthening cooperative and competitive federalism like the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) and Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP). Both these programmes showcase the power of working together as Centre, States and Districts, and the impact of data-driven governance in improving the lives of common citizens at the grassroots level," he said in a statement.
The Prime Minister stressed on the need for States and Centre to promote Shree Anna in the International Year of Millets. He also deliberated on the need for working towards water conservation through the Amrit Sarovar programme.
He also spoke about the importance of maintaining fiscal discipline at the State level. He urged the States to proactively use the Gati Shakti Portal not only for infrastructure and logistics but also for local area development and the creation of social infrastructure, as per the statement.
Speaking about G20 meetings being held in the country, he said that while meetings have brought glory to India on the world stage, it has provided States with the opportunity for global exposure.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the importance of skilling people with a view to meet global requirements, supporting MSMEs, developing the tourism potential of the country, reducing compliances at the State level including decriminalisation of minor offences, and creation of Ekta Malls. Talking about Nari Shakti, he highlighted the significance of women-led development. He also spoke about ending the menace of Tuberculosis by 2025.
At least 11 chief ministers, mostly from states not ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or its allies, skipped the meeting today.
The Governing Council, the apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers. The Prime Minister is the Chairman of NITI Aayog.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel attended the meeting at the new Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
Union ministers Amit Shah, Niramala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and chief ministers of Assam and Jharkhand also attended the meeting, among others.
NITI Aayog CEO B V R Subrahmanyam said 11 Chief Ministers did not attend the meeting, but highlighted the participation of several other leaders. “Eleven Chief Ministers didn’t attend the meeting. But several other Chief Ministers did. I have seen similar attendance in previous NITI Aayog Governing Council meetings. They might have their personal reasons," he said at a press conference after the meeting.
Speaking on the “boycott" of the meeting by Opposition leaders Subrahmanyam further said, “If you don’t attend (the meeting) you miss out on the discussion, on the rich thinking. It is not as if we will boycott someone, we will work together. The government of India forms policies and it is not as if the states who didn’t attend will be left out but the loss is of those who don’t participate."
The chief ministers who have decided to not attend the meeting include Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, both Aam Aadmi Party leaders. Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, Bihar CM and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar, Telangana CM and Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrashekar Rao, along with Tamil Nadu CM and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president MK Stalin, Rajasthan CM and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot and Kerala CM and CPI (M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan.
Image Source: The Week
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