PM Modi chairs NITI meet amid boycott by oppn leaders
PM Modi stressed on cooperation of states for a developed India by 2047 at NITI Aayog meeting.
Stressing the importance of “cooperation and collective efforts of all states” and the Centre to achieve the vision of a developed India by 2047, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that “Viksit Bharat can be realised through viksit (developed) states”, as he encouraged local governments to utilise opportunities in this “decade of change”.
Speaking at the 9th governing council meeting of NITI Aayog — the first after the NDA government secured its third consecutive term — in which only one Opposition CM participated, Modi asked the policy think tank to prepare an “investment-friendly charter” for attracting investments and said, “We must target zero poverty as a priority for a Viksit Bharat,” according to an official press release.
The meeting, held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan complex, was attended by chief ministers/lieutenant governors representing 20 states and 6 UTs. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was the only Opposition CM who was present in the meeting. She stormed out of the meeting alleging her mic was muted after five minutes.
Modi suggested the creation of river grids at the state level for effective utilisation of water resources and asked the states for demographic management plans to address the issues of population ageing in future and following the Union Budget’s key steps for employment generation. Modi emphasised on “skilling and training of youth to make them employment-ready”.
The Prime Minister’s speech, coming against a backdrop of the boycott of the event by several state CMs and widespread allegations by the Opposition that the budget favoured only two states, emphasised on the federal spirit of the Viksit Bharat plan, putting the states and the Centre as equal partners and also focusing on fresh investments, water management and reaping of the demographic dividend.
Modi observed that “the vision of Viksit Bharat can be realised through viksit states, and that the aspiration of Viksit Bharat should reach the grassroots level i.e. each district, block, and village. For this, each state and district should create a vision for 2047 so as to realise Viksit Bharat@2047”, according to the official release.
The PM highlighted the steady growth trajectory of the country in the past 10 years (the NDA years).
“The Indian economy, which was ranked the 10th largest in the world in 2014, has risen to become the 5th largest by 2024. The PM added that now the collective aim of the government and all citizens is to become the third largest economy in the world,” said the press release.
In his speech, Modi urged the states to “provide an investor-friendly environment” even as he directed NITI Aayog to “prepare an ‘investment-friendly charter’ of parameters which would include policies, programmes and processes to be put in place for attracting investments”.
Modi suggested that “the states may be monitored on the achievement in these parameters to promote healthy competition among them for attracting investments. He also underscored the importance of law and order, good governance and infrastructure as vital for attracting investments, rather than just incentives,” the release said.
The PM emphasized on targeting “zero poverty as a priority” for a Viksit Bharat and said that, “We need to tackle poverty on an individual basis rather than just at a programme level. Removing poverty from the grassroots would bring about a transformational effect in our country.”
Modi spoke about sectors such as defence, space, start-ups and sports to emphasise how the country made its mark on the world stage on the export promotion front. Modi pointed out that the “confidence and enthusiasm of 140 crore citizens is the driving force behind the progress of our country”.
“This is the decade of change which brings a lot of opportunities across sectors,” Modi said as he encouraged states to “utilise these opportunities and make policies and initiate governance programmes that are conducive for development through innovative approaches in policy making and execution.”
After the Union Budget proposed a number of provisions on skilling and training including a new internship programme for 10 million youth in the top 500 companies, Modi focused on skilling and training of youth “to make them employment ready as the world looks favourably towards India for skilled human resources”.
In this regard, the PM sought increase in productivity and diversification in agriculture and market linkages for farmers by the states. He further emphasised on “spreading the adoption of natural farming practices which can improve soil fertility, ensure better and quicker returns to farmers due to low costs, and also provide a global market for the products”.
He also asked the states to initiate demographic management plans to address the issues of population ageing in future and to take up capacity building of government officials at all levels and encouraged them to collaborate with the Capacity Building Commission for the same.
