KCR, Mamata Banerjee To Skip PM Modi's NITI Aayog Meet Today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair NITI Aayog's fifth governing council meeting at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today. This would be the first meeting of the planning body after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance formed a new government at the centre after a stellar win in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election. Farm distress, drought and security concerns in Maoist-affected districts will be high on the agenda.The meeting will be attended by chief ministers, lieutenant governors of union territories, union ministers and senior government officials. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, has refused to attend the meeting, saying it is "fruitless" as the Niti Aayog has no financial powers to support state plans. Her Telangana counterpart K Chandrashekar Rao too will skip the meeting.