Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has refused to attend the meeting, saying it is "fruitless" as Niti Aayog has no financial powers to support state plans
The first Niti Aayog's Governing Council meeting under the new NDA government will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on June 15. This will be the fifth overall meeting of the Council.
The meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is said to be attended by chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, several Union ministers and senior government officials.
Agenda
The agenda for the meeting includes:
> Drought situation and relief measures
> Aspirational Districts Programme – achievements and challenges
> Security-related issues with specific focus on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts
> Transforming agriculture: Need for structural reforms with special emphasis on Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act and Essential Commodities Act (ECA)
> The Governing Council will review the action taken on agenda items of the previous meeting and deliberates upon the future developmental priorities.
The Governing Council Meeting of #NITIAayog, chaired by @narendramodi, will be evolving a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the active involvement of States in shaping the development narrative. #FifthGCMhttps://t.co/IF2DtxTLaa
— NITI Aayog (@NITIAayog) June 13, 2019
Who's who to attend
Vice-Chairman, Members, CEO and senior officers of NITI Aayog will take part in the proceeding at the Governing Council meeting
The meeting will be chaired by the PM. Besides, Union Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, will attend the meeting as ex-officio members.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and Ministry of Planning, will be attending the event as special invitees to the Governing Council.
Special invitees to the fifth meeting will include the National Security Adviser, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Minister of Jal Shakti and the Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries.
Mamata Banerjee to skip the meeting
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refused to attend the meeting, saying it is "fruitless" as Niti Aayog has no financial powers to support state plans.
"Given the fact that the Niti Aayog has no financial powers and the power to support state plans it is fruitless for me to attend the meeting of a body that is bereft of any financial powers," Banerjee said in a letter to PM Modi.
About NITI Aayog’s Governing Council
It is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the active involvement of States in shaping the development narrative. It comprises the PM, CMs of all states and Union Territories with Legislatures and Lt Governors of other Union Territories, and other special invitees.
History
> The first meeting was held on February 8, 2015, at which PM Modi laid down the key mandates of Niti Aayog such as fostering cooperative federalism and addressing national issues through active participation of the states.> The second meeting on July 15, 2015 reviewed the progress made by the three sub-groups of chief ministers and the two task forces.
> In the third meeting on April 23, 2017, PM Modi had pitched for conducting simultaneous elections of the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies and shifting to a January-December fiscal year.
> The fourth meeting of the council on June 17, 2018 deliberated upon measures taken to double farmers' income and the progress of the government's flagship schemes such as the Ayushman Bharat, POSHAN Abhiyaan and Mission Indradhanush.
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