At Niti Aayog meet, PM Modi calls for collective efforts towards ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 9th governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog in New Delhi on Saturday to draw a blueprint for making India a developed country by 2047.

The meeting, which was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in the capital, was attended by chief ministers and lieutenant governors of 20 states and 6 Union Territories, respectively.

The meeting was boycotted by states ruled by INDIA bloc parties except West Bengal. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, an ally of the BJP, also skipped the meeting.

Mamata Banerjee courted controversy after she walked out of the meeting, claiming she was unfairly stopped midway through her speech, a charge denied by the Centre.

During Saturday's meeting, Prime Minister Modi emphasised the cooperation and collective effort of all states and the Centre to achieve the vision of “Viksit Bharat @2047”.

“Prime Minister (Modi) observed that India has achieved steady growth in the past ten years. Indian economy, which was ranked 10th largest economy in the world in 2014, has risen to become the 5th largest economy by 2024,” a release issued by the NITI Aayog said.

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Modi also added that now the collective aim of the government and all citizens is to become the third largest economy in the world.

According to the NITI Aayog, Modi stressed that our country has already made a lot of progress in the past ten years by strengthening social and economic infrastructure.

“From being a predominantly import-driven country, India now exports many products to the world. The country has made its mark on the world stage in wide ranging sectors like defence, space, start-ups and sports. He appreciated the confidence and enthusiasm of 140 crore citizens, which is the driving force behind the progress of our country,” it said.

“Prime Minister said that this is the decade of change which brings a lot of opportunities across sectors. 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,” the NITI Aayog added.

Chief minister and lieutenant governors also poured in suggestions for the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 and also discussed steps being taken in their states.

“Some of the key suggestions and best practices highlighted were in the field of agriculture, education and skill development, entrepreneurship, drinking water, reducing compliances, governance, digitalisation, women empowerment, cyber security, etc. Several States also shared their endeavours to create a State Vision for 2047,” according to the NITI Aayog.

The council, the apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all state chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers. Prime Minister Modi is the chairman of NITI Aayog.