Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the NITI Aayog, attended by the Chief Ministers of the states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chaired a meeting of Chief Ministers of the states to discuss the form and functions of Niti Aayog, the newly instituted planning panel.
Here are some of the highlights of the briefing by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley about the meeting:
- The flagship schemes of the government were discussed.
- The Prime Minister has made some announcements.
- He empasised how the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was successful because everyone cooperated.
- Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has also been adopted by the states.
- The Prime Minister made an important announcement, that the Niti Aayog constitutes three sub-groups of Chief Ministers.
- The members will be announced after Chief Ministers give their preferences.
- First sub-group is in relation to which among the Centrally-sponsored schemes have to be continued and which are to be cut down, with respect to each state.
- Second sub-group, is on the basis of human resource development, to look into what sort of measures are required for each state.
- Third sub-group will deal with the Swachh Bharat Abiyan. It cannot be just a scheme, but has to become a part of our lives. The sub-groups will look into what steps are to be taken for institutionalisation, and what is the technological know-how that is required.
- Under aegis of Niti Aayog, the Prime Minister has asked the states to constitute two task forces.
- One will be for poverty alleviation, to take stock of what sort of programmes to be taken up in each state.
- The second task force would be aimed at giving a push to agrarian sector, by taking stock of what state-specific measures are needed on this front.
- It was an extremely useful meeting, where there was a large consensus on the need to empower the states.
- The Prime Minister has requested them to set up these sub-groups in a month or month-and-a-half.
- Some are flagship schemes. These will go on. We need discussion on which schemes will remain under the Centre and which ones will be transferred to the states.
- No discussion has taken place on the Union Budget.