Key points discussed in Governing Council of NITI Aayog: Read here

New Delhi, June 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of 23 states and the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, apart from Union Ministers, who are ex-officio members and special invitees. 

During NITI Aayog meeting, the key issues that were discussed are as follows:

-The Prime Minister assured help with the norms and provisions to the bifurcated states of Bihar and Jharkhand, and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

-A seven-member committee headed by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, along with the Chief Ministers of Bihar, Gujarat, Sikkim, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh will be formed under MNREGA scheme for development of irrigation and post-harvest.

-The Prime Minister spoke about Aspirational Blocks and the development of villages to implement welfare schemes in 45,000 villages by August 15. A total of 65,000 villages have to be covered.

-Open Defecation Free India under Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan by 2019, as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

-Uniform Voter List was also an important issue addressed by the Prime Minister, as with current technology it could save time, money, and resources.

-Prime Minister Modi also asked the states to focus on exports and attract nations via the same.

-States were directed to utilise their hydro-potential, especially Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

-The Prime Minister directed the focus to ease of living by making self-attestation, license and so on easy for the public to access.

-The states were asked to set a target at their level to help transform India into a five trillion dollar economy.

-The states were directed to focus on an outcome-based revolution.

-The Prime Minister asked states to encourage mineral extraction, and employment through mining.

-The states were asked to send their suggestions, if any, through a written document.

Following are the suggestions and concerns raised by of Chief Minister various states:

Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu spoke about the improvement in connectivity to the North East in the last four years. He highlighted the need to relax co-funding requirements among the North Eastern States for Smart Cities.

Assam CM Sarbanand Sonowal said, “We presented the budget electronically this year. We are at the forefront of implementation of major schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, Poshan Abhiyan and Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. We have also designed 3 and 7 year plans in line with SDGs.

UP chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state is focusing on the magnum initiatives taken in Agriculture including MSP implementation, Cane Prices, grain purchase, irrigation. He also focused on health, nutrition, education.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said, “We need to make special efforts to bring backward states like Bihar up to the level of the rest of the country. NITI Aayog should assess how schemes can be implemented depending on needs of specific states.”

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje focused on the strides made by the government in the field of agriculture marketing, e-NAM, irrigation, Bhamashah yojna, water conservation programmes, health cover schemes. She also praised NITI Aayog for work in Water Index development.

“At the Rajasthan Global Agri-Tech meet, farmers were exposed to modern farming practices. The state is integrating an online mandi platform which will connect all mandis to eNAM,” Vasundhara Raje.

Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh said, “We are implementing flagship schemes of the Central Government with complete earnest. Practices like ‘Wazan Tyohar’ are being implemented as part of Poshan Abhiyaan and we have designated a nodal agency for Ayushman Bharat.”

Gujarat CM Vijay Rupanibjp said, “NITI Aayog has done a commendable job in taking forward the country’s development agenda. Gujarat is ready to implement Ayushman Bharat and we will also double farmers' income by 2022.”

Haryana CM Manohar Khattar said, “Haryana has improved its sex ratio significantly due to efforts under Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and will implement Ayushman Bharat & PoshanA bhiyaan in letter and spirit.”

Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur said, “We are working towards improving health and nutrition outcomes. Poshan Abhiyan is running well in the state. Through National Ambulance Seva, we have instituted heli-ambulances in the hilly regions.”

Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy said, “Climate change is a reality and calls for climate resilient agriculture. Water conservation is the need of the hour and we should dedicate a full 'water decade' for intensive water conservation and management.”

Meghalaya CM Sangma Conrad said, “The effect of climate change is noticeable on the agricultural producers. To tackle such complex situations, Integrated Technology enabled Agriculture Management System is a programme we are planning to roll out.”

Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das said, “MGNREGA is being used in the state to build irrigation wells & Gram Vikas Samiti has been formed in each village. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna has benefited more than 30 Lakh people in the state.”

Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio said, “Nagaland is predominantly a fully organic, agrarian state. The state is working on the eNAM scheme of the Central Government and is optimistic of improving its Agriculture Marketing Board.”

Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao said, “NITI Aayog should classify states according to their level of development. We need to analyze and make a National Agriculture Policy to ensure food security in the country.”

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “We are deliberating on possible solutions for doubling farmers’ income and increasing agriculture production is one of the solution. Ayushman Bharat has come as a life changing scheme for the poor in India.”

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh said, “The Punjab Government has identified water as a critical challenge for the state, both in terms of quantity and quality. Additionally, we are doing our best to address the burning of Paddy fields and request Centre’s support.”

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “The state of Maharashtra is home to four Aspirational Districts and the State Government has allocated Rs. 121 Crore to these districts and sent road-maps for their development to NITIAayog.”

Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K. Palaniswamy said, “A large number of work in the state has been completed under the MGNREGA scheme of Central Government. We request a central sector scheme for the Aspirational Districts programme.”

Puducherry CM V Narayanasami said, “In higher education, Puducherry is ranked 15th in India. The Smart Cities project, provision of safe drinking water and development of tourism facilities are some of the key initiatives being undertaken by the Government.”

Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu said, “Cooperative Federalism not only needs to be implemented, but needs to be embraced in its true spirit. If we work with dedication, we can fulfill the aspirations of our nation.”

Kerala CM CM Pinarayi Vijaya said, “Kerala is setting up one of the six pharmaceutical parks in the country and requests support from the centre to expedite the process of setting up the park in the state.”

Andaman and Nicobar LG Admiral Devendra K. Joshi said, “We are thankful to the NITIAayog for supporting us across wide range of activities and providing constant support for our capacity building.”

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat said, “The State Government is giving special attention to all parameters of development. We have given special attention for rolling out GST, with a 24x7 helpline and are ensuring Uttarakhand is an active member of Digital India.”

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, “Areas for development were identified and work has already begun in the Aspirational Districts of the state.”