Opening the third governing council of NITI Aayog, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that having been a Chief Minister in the past, he was convinced that “the vision of New India can only be realised through the combined effort and cooperation of all States and Chief Ministers.”
“The NITI Aayog is working on a 15-year long-term vision, 7-year medium-term strategy, and 3-year action agenda. This effort needs the support of states, and will eventually reflect in benefits to states,” Narendra Modi said.
Appreciating the CMs, PM Modi said that they have given vital inputs on subjects such as centrally-sponsored schemes like Swachh Bharat, Skill Development and Digital payments.
Narendra Modi further said that the Goods and Services Tax legislation shows the strength and resolve of the federal structure.
He said, ”The consensus on GST will go down in history as a great illustration of cooperative federalism,” adding that the GST reflects the spirit of “One nation, One aspiration, One determination.”
Terming the gathering of the policy makers of the country at one platform as ‘Team India’, PM Modi said, “It is the collective responsibility of this gathering to envision the India of 2022 – the 75th anniversary of independence – and see how we can swiftly move forward to achieve these goals.”
CM Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee are among those who missed the meeting. Notably, among the opposition, ruled states, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami attended the meeting.
Others who were present include Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, Suresh Prabhu, Prakash Javadekar, Rao Inderjit Singh and Smriti Irani also attended the meet.
