Niti Aayog meet: PM Modi pushes for Centre-state cooperation as states seek release of funds

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 10th Governing Council Meeting of Niti Aayog on Saturday in New Delhi. PM Modi stressed the Centre-state cooperation to achieve the national goals. 

 

 

"If the Centre and states work together like Team India, no goal is impossible," said PM Modi at the council meeting. 

 

 

He also pointed out the Viksit Bharat vision of India. 

 

 

Non-BJP chief ministers at the Niti Aayog meet demanded access to more resources. Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin pushed for the Centre to release more funds to the state including for education. Punjab CM Bagwant Mann emphasised the need for water. Punjab is currently in dispute with Haryana over the sharing of water from the Bhakra-Nangal Dam. 

 

 

"It is not ideal for the cooperative federal structure that states should be given funds after a legal battle. This will affect the development of the state and nation, as well," said Stalin. 

 

 

While demanding a "rightful" 50 per cent share for states in central taxes, Stalin pointed out that Tamil Nadu is currently receiving only 33.16 per cent against the promised 41. 

 

 

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu demanded the release of the pending funds for meeting the special needs of the hill states. The hill states should be considered for higher allocation of funds by relaxing the eligibility criteria in various schemes, he added.  

 

 

The Niti Aayog meeting was attended by chief ministers including Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu, and Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah. 

 

 

Which state CMs skipped the PM Modi-chaired Niti Aayog meet?   

 

 

Three southern CMs skipped the PM Modi-chaired NITI Aayog Meet. 

 

 

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah cited a "prior engagement" in the state and sent his speech to be read out at the council. Reportedly, Siddaramaiah had a scheduled event in Mysuru and therefore he boycotted the meeting. 

 

 

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan also did not attend the meeting. State Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal attended the meeting on his behalf. Puducherry CM N. Rangasamy, who leads the AINRC-led NDA coalition in the Union Territory, was also absent. 

 

 

Also, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Bihar's Nitish Kumar did not attend the meeting. 

India