Niti Aayog meeting: PM Narendra Modi said it is an opportunity to learn best practices from states.
Highlights
- Nearly 30 Chief Ministers attended NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi
- Some non-BJP Chief Ministers like Mamata Banerjee skipped the meet
- Highlight of meet was presentation on the 15-year vision document
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon states to work with his government as part of Team India, help identify goals for 2022 and work in "Mission mode" towards achieving them. In his closing address to the NITI Aayog's Governing Council, where his 15-year Vision Document was discussed, he said it is a draft and the views of states will be taken into account before finalising it. With around 30 Chief Ministers in attendance, the meeting also discussed the government strategy over the next seven years and a three-year action plan.
Here are the 10 things to know about the Niti Aayog meeting:
Lauding the role of Chief Ministers in policy formation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this was the first time the Chief Ministers had been asked to recommend the list of Centrally sponsored schemes and the sharing pattern. They have given vital inputs on Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Swachh Bharat, Skill Development and Digital payments, he said.
PM Modi also said a constructive discussion has started on the subject of holding Union and state elections simultaneously.
At the meeting, PM Modi said the vision of 'New India' can be realised "only through the combined efforts of all states and chief ministers". The think-tank's day-long third meeting was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan after 21 months.
Some non-BJP Chief Ministers like Mamata Banerjee and Mukul Sangma skipped the meet and sent their ministers instead. As Delhi voted for its civic bodies, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not attend either.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Congress' Punjab Amarinder Singh and Himachal Pradesh's Virbhadra Singh attended the meet. Chief Ministers of Left-ruled states -- Manik Sarkar of Tripura and Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala were also present along with Tamil Nadu's E Palaniswami.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the Chief Ministers made their demands heard - one of the key points was regional imbalance. PM Modi said this issue has to be addressed on priority, both nationally, and within states.
In response to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's appeal, the Prime Minister suggested that states could organize events in Jammu and Kashmir. He also seconded her suggestion that states should take interest in the students from her state who are studying in other states. He urged States to reach out to these students from time to time.
The highlight of the meeting was the presentation by NITI Aayog's Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya on the government's 15-year Vision document, which not only has broad targets for the economic and social sector but also map objectives in internal security and defence.
Two other presentations were held -- one that outlined the government's strategy over the next seven years and a three-year action plan. The government has already made it clear that it is dumping five-year-plans, since it is as too short a period. All schemes under this format ended this year.
The Council also discussed the progress made towards implementing the Goods and Services Tax or GST from July 1. In his address, PM Modi said GST reflects the spirit of "one nation, one aspiration, one determination". A consensus on it, he said, "will go down in history as a great illustration of cooperative federalism".
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