PM Modi to chair NITI Aayog meeting with CMs after Op Sindoor
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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council on Saturday at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital. This will mark the first major interaction between the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers of all states following the successful operation Sindoor of the Indian Armed Forces.
Earlier this month, the Indian military dismantled nine terrorist camps and training centres in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir in a decisive counter-strike to avenge the recent Pahalgam terror attack. In this context, the meeting underscores the Prime Minister’s renewed call for unity and coordination among states under the spirit of “Team India” to build a developed Bharat.
In a statement issued by NITI Aayog, the government reiterated that India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation hinges on the active participation of states in driving transformative changes from the grassroots level. It emphasised the importance of states leveraging their individual strengths to deliver on the aspirations of the country’s 140 crore citizens.
Themed ‘Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047’, the meeting aims to foster cooperative federalism and synchronise state-level initiatives with the national objective of transforming India into a developed country by the time it celebrates its 100th year of Independence. Discussions will revolve around enabling states to craft inclusive, long-term vision documents that align with national goals while addressing local realities.
Key areas of focus include human development, economic progress, environmental sustainability, governance reforms, and technology-driven innovation. States are encouraged to adopt data-driven and outcome-based strategies, with institutional mechanisms such as Project Monitoring Units, ICT-enabled infrastructure, and Monitoring and Evaluation Cells ensuring transparency and timely course correction.
This Governing Council meeting serves as a vital platform for the Centre, States, and Union Territories to engage in dialogue on developmental challenges, and explore how states can become fundamental drivers in the mission to build a Viksit Bharat. Topics such as entrepreneurship promotion, skill enhancement, and sustainable employment generation will also form part of the deliberations.
The meeting will further seek to build consensus on the key themes highlighted during the fourth National Conference of Chief Secretaries, held from December 13 to 15, 2024. The conference, which brought together Union Secretaries and Chief Secretaries of states and UTs, contributed a range of recommendations under the overarching theme of ‘Promoting Entrepreneurship, Employment and Skilling—Leveraging the Demographic Dividend’.
Six thematic areas emerged from the conference discussions, including creating supportive ecosystems for manufacturing and services in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, enhancing MSME and informal sector employment in both rural and urban settings, and exploring new opportunities in the green economy through renewable energy and circular economy initiatives.
A senior government official noted that discussions at the Governing Council meeting may also touch upon new initiatives under Budget 2025–26, in addition to addressing current economic challenges. Despite global headwinds such as reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States and broader international slowdowns, India’s economy is expected to grow between 6.2 and 6.7 per cent in the ongoing fiscal year. However, both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have revised India’s growth projections for 2025–26 downward to 6.2 and 6.3 per cent, respectively, citing persistent global uncertainties and trade tensions.
The Governing Council is the highest decision-making body within NITI Aayog and includes all Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories, and several Union Ministers. Prime Minister Modi, who has chaired the body since its inception, will preside over this significant gathering. It is worth noting that ten states and Union Territories did not participate in last year’s meeting, which was held on July 27.
NITI Aayog is currently developing a comprehensive vision document aimed at guiding India’s economic and social transformation towards becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047. Entrusted in 2023 with the integration of ten sectoral thematic visions, the document will focus on four primary pillars: economic growth, social development, sustainability, and governance.
With IANS inputs
