From Mamata Banerjee’s walkout, PM Modi’s speech to absent CMs – 10 key highlights from NITI Aayog meet | Today News

The 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog on Saturday took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi, however, controversy erupted as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked out alleging her mic was stopped after five minutes.

During his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Viksit Bharat @2047 is the ambition of every Indian and states can play an active role to achieve this aim as they are directly connected with the people.

Here are 10 key developments related to NITI Aayog meet

1) To draw blueprint of making India a developed nation by 2047, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council.

2) INDIA bloc parties ruled states boycotted the meeting, except West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

3) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, an ally of BJP-led NDA, too skipped the meeting. Bihar was represented by deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha at the meeting.

4) The meeting was attended by 26 CMs and Lt Governors of UTs. Chief Ministers of 10 states and UTs did not attend the governing council meeting

5) Prime Minister Narendra 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.

6) Chief Minister/Lt. Governors gave various 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.

7) Mamata Banerjee claimed that she was unfairly stopped midway in her speech, despite being the sole representative of the opposition. However, PIB fact-checked her and rejected her claim and said Banerjee’s speaking time was over. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that she should speak the truth.

8) Congress slams

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. It has not advanced the cause of cooperative federalism in any manner. Its functioning has been blatantly partisan, and it is anything but professional and independent. It muzzles all divergent and dissenting viewpoints, which are the very essence of an open democracy. Its meetings are a farce to be reckoned with. Its treatment of the West Bengal CM today, although typical of the NITI Aayog, is unacceptable,” said Jairam Ramesh in a post on X.

9) CMs who remained absent

Chief ministers of the INDIA bloc, Stalin (DMK), Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan (CPI-M), Punjab’s Bhagwant Mann (Aam Aadmi Party), Congress’s Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh), Revanth Reddy (Telangana), and Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), skipped the NITI Aayog meeting.

10) What Prime Minister said

— This decade is of changes, technological & geo-political, and also of opportunities.

— India should grab these opportunities and make our policies conducive for international investments.

— We are moving in the right direction. We have defeated once in hundred years pandemic.

—Our people are full of enthusiasm and confidence. We can fulfil our dreams of Viksit Bharat @ 2047 with combined effort of all States. Viksit States will make Viksit Bharat.

— Reforms like NEP, schemes like Mudra, PM Vishwakarma, PM Svanidhi, reforms in criminal justice system etc. should be utilised for bringing about transformational change in Indian society and economy.

— 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.

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.