New Delhi: Ten Chief Ministers skipped the eighth governing council meeting of Niti Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. They include Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Kejriwal shot off a letter to Modi stating that 'cooperative federalism' seems to be a joke. The Delhi CM is presently not on good terms with the Central dispensation for an ordinance framed by the government which seeks to do away with the exclusive powers of the Delhi CM over control of services.
Bhagwant Mann, another AAP CM also wrote a note to the Centre for not paying adequate attention to Punjab's interests. Ashok Gehlot has cited health reasons for his absence, while Vijayan did not state any reason. KCR, Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar who have been at odds with the Modi dispensation are trying to put up a united front ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Speaking to reporters Nitish Kumar said, "There was no sense in attending the NITI Aayog meeting and the inauguration of the new Parliament building."
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The eighth governing council meeting of Niti Aayog is based on the theme of 'Viksit Bharat @2047: Role of Team India'. It is taking place at the new Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan. Sources said that he is deliberating on issues related to health, skill development, women empowerment and infrastructure development, with an aim to make India a developed nation by 2047.
"Eight prominent themes will be discussed during the day-long Meeting including (i) Viksit Bharat@2047, (ii) Thrust on MSMEs, (iii) Infrastructure and Investments, (iv) Minimising Compliances, (v) Women Empowerment, (vi) Health and Nutrition, (vii) Skill Development, and (viii) Gati Shakti for area development and social infrastructure," the NITI Aayog stated earlier.
"The Meeting will see the participation of Chief Ministers/Lt Governors of all States and Union Territories, Union Ministers as ex-officio Members, and the Vice Chairman and Members of NITI Aayog", it stated. The second Chief Secretaries Conference was held in January 2023 as a preparatory prelude to the 8th Governing Council Meeting.
"Wide-ranging stakeholder consultations and brainstorming sessions with subject experts, academia and practitioners were held prior to the Conference in order to gain well-rounded grassroots-level perspectives," it further said. The 2nd Chief Secretaries Conference, attended by the Prime Minister, brought together select Secretaries from the Government of India and Chief Secretaries from all States/UTs who proactively participated by sharing thematic best practices and policy insights, the release stated.
