New Delhi, 27 July (H.S.): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to chair the ninth governing council meeting of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) on July 27. The council, which includes all state chief ministers, lieutenant governors of union territories, and several union ministers, is the apex body of NITI Aayog.

Chief ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states are expected to attend the meeting, but Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has not confirmed his attendance. Opposition party chief ministers have boycotted the event. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will also attend the meeting, but plans to raise her voice against the Centre's step-motherly attitude towards opposition-ruled states in the Union Budget 2024-25.

The meeting aims to foster participative governance and collaboration between the Centre and state governments, enhancing the quality of life for both rural and urban populations by strengthening the delivery mechanisms of government interventions. The meeting will discuss the 'Approach Paper' for the vision document on Viksit Bharat @2047 and hold detailed deliberations on the role of states in achieving this goal. The meeting will also focus on the recommendations of the third National Conference of chief secretaries, which was held in December last year.

Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar