Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council to draw blueprint of making India a developed nation by 2047 on Saturday but the meet courted controversy when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked out of it in a huff alleging her mike was switched off.
The meeting was boycotted by States ruled by INDIA bloc parties except West Bengal. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, an ally of BJP-led NDA, too skipped the meeting.
In his address to the ninth Governing Council meeting, Modi called upon the States to take advantage of technological and geo-political changes to make India a developed nation by 2047. He also asked the states to make policies which are conducive for attracting international investments.
The NITI Aayog meeting held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre witnessed a walkout by the West Bengal Chief Minister, who claimed that she was unfairly stopped midway in her speech, despite being the sole representative of the opposition. The government, however, rejected her claim and said Banerjee’s speaking time was over.
The Congress said the treatment meted out to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the meeting was “unacceptable”.
“Since it was established ten years ago, NITI Aayog has been an attached office of the PMO and has functioned as a drumbeater for the non-biological PM,” Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said.
NITI Aayog in a series of posts on X said the Prime Minister emphasised the need to make India a developed nation by 2047 and states can play an active role in achieving this aim as they are directly connected with the people.
“Viksit Bharat @ 2047 is the ambition of every Indian. States can play an active role to achieve this aim as they are directly connected with the people,” NITI Aayog said in a post on X quoting Modi.
Modi further said this decade is of technological and geo-political changes, and also of opportunities.
“India should grab these opportunities and make our policies conducive for international investments. This is the stepping stone for progress to make India a developed nation,” he added.
The meeting focuses on making India a developed nation by 2047. It aims to foster participative governance and collaboration between the Centre and state governments, enhancing the quality of life for both rural and urban populations by strengthening the delivery mechanisms of government interventions.
“Reforms like #NEP, schemes like #Mudra, #PMVishwakarma, #PMSvanidhi, reforms in criminal justice system etc. Should be utilised for bringing about transformational change in Indian society and economy,” NITI Aayog said in another post on X quoting Modi.
The Prime Minister also said India is a youthful country. “It is a huge attraction for the entire world because of its workforce. We should aim to make our youth a skilled and employable workforce. Emphasis on skill, research, innovation and job-based knowledge is necessary for making Viksit Bharat @ 2024.”
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.
Chief Ministers of the INDIA bloc, Stalin (DMK), Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan (CPI-M), Punjab’s Bhagwant Mann (Aam Aadmi Party), Congress Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh), Revanth Reddy (Telangana), and Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), skipped the NITI Aayog meeting.
Opposition parties have alleged that the States ruled by them have been ignored in the Union Budget presented recently in the Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, Bihar was represented by Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha at the meeting.
