Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the eighth governing council meeting of the Niti Aayog on Saturday, which saw the absence of eight Chief Ministers, including Pinarayi Vijayan, who skipped the event held at the new Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
Themed on ‘Viksit Bharat @2047: Role of Team India,’ the meeting focused on various crucial issues such as health, skill development, women empowerment, and infrastructure development. The goal of the meeting was to discuss strategies and initiatives that would contribute to making India a developed nation by 2047.
The council meeting witnessed the presence of several Chief Ministers, including Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh, Jagan Mohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh, Hemant Soren of Jharkhand, and Pema Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh, along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Notably, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who is currently on a visit to Japan and Singapore, was also unable to attend.
However, the meeting was marked by the absence of Chief Ministers Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), Bhagwant Mann (Punjab), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), K Chandrashekar Rao (Telangana), Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), and Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala).
Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were present at the event, along with other Union Ministers as ex-officio members. The meeting aimed to strengthen Centre-State cooperation and forge partnerships to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
Ahead of the meeting, the NITI Aayog outlined eight prominent themes to be discussed during the day-long event, including the development of India by 2047, focus on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), infrastructure and investments, reducing compliance burden, women empowerment, health and nutrition, skill development, and area development and social infrastructure through the Gati Shakti initiative.
The Niti Aayog also highlighted that the meeting took place during India’s G20 Presidency, with the country’s motto, “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” reflecting its vision for an inclusive and sustainable future.
The 8th Governing Council Meeting followed the second Chief Secretaries Conference held in January 2023, where these themes were extensively discussed. The Niti Aayog emphasized that wide-ranging stakeholder consultations and brainstorming sessions were conducted beforehand, involving subject experts, academia, and practitioners to gather diverse perspectives.
The meeting aimed to provide a platform for collaborative efforts between the central government and state governments, fostering cooperation and partnerships to realize the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047 and India’s inclusive and sustainable vision for the next 25 years.
As the meeting concluded, the discussions and outcomes are expected to pave the way for further initiatives and policies that drive India’s progress and development on various fronts.
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