EVEN as Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for Centre, states and UTs to work as “Team India,” at the eighth meeting of the Governing Council of Niti Aayog Saturday, in an apparent reflection of sharpening fault-lines, Chief Ministers of 11 states — most of them ruled by non-BJP parties — stayed away. Sources said Chief Ministers of 10 states who did not participate were: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The 11th CM who did not attend the meeting was Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, it is learnt. At the meeting, focused around the theme of making India a developed nation by 2047, the Prime Minister said that the “Centre, states and UTs should work as Team India and fulfil the dreams and aspirations of people for a Viksit Bharat@ 2047,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. Modi urged state governments to exercise fiscal prudence and “behave responsibly,” as he flagged challenges including climate change, socio-economic disruption owing to developments in artificial intelligence, and regional imbalances, as potential hurdles towards the 2047 goal. Modi said that states should consider future generations and plan their finances in a way that they are not “overburdened” going forward. He urged states to proactively use the Gati Shakti portal not only for infrastructure and logistics but also for local area development and creation of social infrastructure, and identify potential locations for schools, educational institutions, and hospitals among other amenities. The Prime Minister underlined the importance of skilling with a view to meet global requirements, supporting MSMEs, developing the tourism potential of the country, and reducing compliances at the state level including decriminalisation of minor offences. 🎥Visuals of the @NITIAayog Governing Council meeting underway pic.twitter.com/KihqOZ36ZP — PIB India (@PIB_India) May 27, 2023 He also called for the eradication of tuberculosis by 2025 by addressing communities and individuals at the grassroots level. At a press conference after the meeting, NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam said that the meeting took place in a “cordial atmosphere (mangalmay vatavaran).” Replying to a query, Subrahmanyam said that Chief Ministers of 11 states and Union Territories did not attend the meeting. He, however, did not specify the names of the states or Chief Ministers who were not present in the meeting. The Council is the apex decision-making body of NITI Aayog, the government’s premier think tank, which was established by the NDA government replacing the Planning Commission om January 1, 2015. It came into effect on February 16, 2015 through a notification by the Cabinet Secretariat. The Chief Ministers of all states and Union Territories with legislatures and Lt Governors of other Union Territories, and several Union Ministers are members of the Council. In all, there are 29 Chief Ministers of States and UTs in the Council. This is the first time that a little over one-third of the Chief Ministers of states — which accounts for nearly half of the all states’ combined GSDP — did not participate. While the chief ministers of two AAP-ruled states, Punjab and Delhi, stayed away in protest, other CMs cited various reasons for not attending. Announcing his decision, Kejriwal had said: “What is the use of attending this meeting when the Centre is openly making fun of cooperative federalism?” Mann did not attend the meeting in “protest” against the Centre not paying Rs 3,600 crore to the state towards rural development fee (RDF). Meanwhile, Kejriwal and Mann both reached Hyderabad Saturday to seek support from BRS to oppose the Centre’s ordinance on control of services in the national capital. Telangana CM Rao didn’t attend the meeting as he was hosting the Delhi CM in Hyderabad. The Chief Ministers of Odisha and Kerala stayed away as, ostensibly, they had prior programmes in their respective states. Banerjee, sources said, decided she would not attend the meeting. The Centre had turned down the TMC government’s request to send the state Finance Minister and the Chief Secretary to the meeting in place of the CM. Rajasthan CM Gehlot’s visit to Delhi was cancelled due to his bad health, his office said. The CMs of Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh participated in the meeting. However, Siddaramaiah, the newly elected CM of Karnataka, did not attend as he was busy with the Cabinet expansion Saturday. Stalin did not attend as he is abroad. Among those who attended the meeting, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel flagged the issue of “rights of the states.” “It is our wish that the Central government respect the rights of the states and also make the system of transferring their share of resources more robust),” Baghel said in his speech while speaking about Developed India @2047 during the meeting. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu urged the Centre for issuing directions to Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) to return the amount of Rs 9,242.60 crore deposited under New Pension Scheme (NPS) by the State Government. Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar, attended the meeting. Yogi Adityanath shared “accomplishments” of his government in “seven points.” “He listed step-by-step the accomplishments of UP in the areas of MSME, women's safety, infrastructure development, PM Gati Shakti, health, and nutrition,” the UP government said in a statement. Khattar said the Haryana government launched the Parivar Pehchan Patra programme to bring government schemes and programmes to people's doorsteps. Other states are studying the Parivar Pehchan Patra as well. Work on implementing this scheme has begun in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand. Rajasthan CM Gehlot’s visit to Delhi was purportedly cancelled due to his bad health, the chief minister’s office said. The chief ministers of Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh are participating in the NITI Aayog meeting. However, Siddaramaiah, chief minister of Karnataka, did not attend the meeting as he was busy with the swearing-in programme to expand his cabinet on Saturday. Stalin too did not attend the meeting as he is abroad. Chief ministers from BJP-ruled states, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar, attended the meeting. The one-day meeting, which is taking place at the G20 Summit venue at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, began Saturday morning and is expected to continue till evening. The Governing Council, headed by the Prime Minister, is the apex decision-making body of the NITI Aayog, the government’s think tank. All chief ministers of states and Union Territories having legislative assemblies, the lieutenant governor of other UTs and several Union ministers, including the minister of finance and commerce, are members of the council. The eighth meeting of the council is significant as it will discuss the issue of making the country a developed nation by 2047. Besides, issues like thrust on MSMEs, infrastructure and investments, minimising compliances, women empowerment, health and nutrition, skill development, and Gati Shakti for area development and social infrastructure are also on the agenda.
