Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged states to take "financially prudent decisions" as top central and state leaders gathered in New Delhi on May 27 for the eighth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog.
"PM @narendramodi urged States to take financially prudent decisions so as to become fiscally strong and capable of delivering programmes that meet the dreams of citizens," the NITI Aayog tweeted.
When asked whether Modi talked of freebies and the Old Pension Scheme - issues that have come to the fore amid elections in several states - BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog, said the Prime Minister "hinted" at them.
"The PM gave an over-arching view – he didn't discuss a particular item, but he hinted at it. He basically said fiscal prudence is essential because you do not want to over-burden future generations… So keep that in mind in whatever you do," Subrahmanyam told reporters at the conclusion of the meeting.
The latest meeting of the Governing Council of the Prime Minister-led NITI Aayog was given a miss by as many as 11 chief ministers for various reasons.
Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal, for instance, skipped the meeting in protest against the Centre's decision to pass an ordinance that overturns the Supreme Court's order on control over services in the Capital.
"People are very angry with your ordinance. It will not be possible for me to attend the NITI Aayog meeting tomorrow," Kejriwal tweeted on May 26.
Others who didn't attend the Governing Council meeting included Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who said he had requested a change in the time of the meeting so that he could attend a function marking the death anniversary of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
"They (the Centre), however, did not agree to change the timing of the NITI Aayog meeting. Had they even agreed to hold the meeting in the afternoon, I would have been able to attend. We sent a few other names, who could represent the state, which too was turned down. So, Bihar remained unrepresented," Kumar said.
As many as eight items were on the agenda for the Governing Council's meeting: focus on making India a developed nation by 2047; thrust on micro, small and medium enterprises; infrastructure and investments; minimising compliances; empowering women; health and nutrition; skill development; and GatiShakti for area development and social infrastructure.
Commenting on the NITI Aayog's plans for the future, BVR Subrahmanyam said it had launched a state-support mission.
"We will be creating NITI-type institutions... Our goal is all the 35 states and Union Territories in the country should have a NITI-type institution," Subrahmanyam said.