Modi to chair NITI Aayog’s 7th governing council meeting on Sunday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the NITI Aayog’s seventh governing council meeting on Sunday to discuss issues related to agriculture, education and economy.

Chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union territories, Union ministers, members and vice-chairman of NITI Aayog will attend the meeting, which is being held in-person for the first time since 2019. The first such meeting was held in February 2015 and it was not held in 2020 due to the Covd-19 pandemic.

“The agenda of the meeting, interalia, includes crop diversification and achieving self-sufficiency in oilseeds and pulses and agri-communities; implementation of the National Education Policy–school education; implementation of the National Education Policy–higher education; and urban governance,” NITI Aayog said in a statement.

Officials said the meeting aims to “finalise the road map and outcome-oriented action plan” on the issues to be discussed. “It provides one of the most important forums for deliberations between the Centre and States and identifying key strategies for cohesive action with a whole-of-Government approach,” said the statement.

In June, Modi chaired a conference of chief secretaries in Dharamshala as part of the preparation for the meeting. Discussions were held on the need for greater Centre-state coordination for ensuring the last-mile delivery of government schemes and other important issues at the conference.

In his address at the conference, Modi asked every state to recognise its strength, define its targets and develop a road map to achieve them. “This is essential for India to become a five trillion-dollar economy. Urban areas will be key in future development and employment generation. Therefore, urban local bodies must be strengthened, and urban planning should be done innovatively.”