PM to chair NITI Aayog's meeting amid boycott by opposition states

New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the 9th NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting on Saturday, with a focus on making India a developed nation by 2047. The meeting is set to take place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, an official release from the government think tank said.

Several opposition-ruled states have announced they will boycott the meeting. Chief Ministers of three Congress-ruled States - Karnataka's Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh's Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Telangana's Revanth Reddy have announced they will not attend the meeting over alleged bias against their States in the recently presented Union Budget.

Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin along with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab and Delhi governments have said they will also boycott the meeting. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is set to attend the meeting, said she felt their voices should be raised on a common platform. 

This year's theme of NITI Aayog’s meeting is 'Viksit Bharat@2047', with a central focus on making India a developed nation. The Governing Council Meeting will discuss the Approach Paper for the Vision Document on Viksit Bharat @2047.

The meeting aims to foster participative governance and collaboration between the Centre and State Governments, enhancing the quality of life for both rural and urban populations by strengthening the delivery mechanisms of government interventions.

The meeting will also see detailed deliberations on the role of states in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047. India is on track to become the world's third-largest economy, with GDP crossing USD 5 trillion and aspirations to reach a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047.

Achieving the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047 will require a collaborative approach between the Centre and State governments. The 9th Governing Council Meeting aims to create a roadmap for this vision.

The governing council of NITI Aayog will also discuss the recommendations put forth in the the 3rd National Conference of Chief Secretaries that was held from December 27-29, 2023. Special sessions were also held to deliberate on cyber security, the aspirational districts and blocks programme, the role of states, and AI in governance which were also discussed during the 3rd National Conference of Chief Secretaries.

The Prime Minister who serves as teh Chairperson of the NITI Aayog will be joined by Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors of States and Union Territories, Union Ministers as Ex-officio Members and Special Invitees, and the Vice Chairman and members of NITI Aayog. (ANI)