Punjab government likely to boycott NITI Aayog's meeting

Punjab: Amid the ongoing tension between the centre and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is likely to boycott the eighth governing council meeting of NITI Aayog.
Mann in a note claimed that the central government has not been taking care of the interests of Punjab and therefore will be boycotting the meeting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be will chair NITI Aayog's eighth Governing Council meeting on May 27.
"The centre has not been taking care of the interest of Punjab and until the issues are discussed and completed, there is no use in attending this meeting. This meeting is just a photo session, food supply remains if the ideas are not fulfilled in this meeting," wrote CM Mann in a note.
Chief Minister Mann participated in the NITI Aayog meeting held in August last year and raised the issues related to RDF, stubble and farmers.
He alleged that even then the central government did not pay attention to the issues raised.
The council, the apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers. Modi is the Chairman of NITI Aayog.
"Eight prominent themes will be discussed during the day-long meeting including- Viksit Bharat@2047, Thrust on MSMEs, Infrastructure and Investments, Minimising Compliances, Women Empowerment, Health and Nutrition, Skill Development, and Gati Shakti for area development and social infrastructure," read an official release from NITI Aayog.
As per the statement, a preparatory prelude to the 8th Governing Council Meeting, the 2nd Chief Secretaries Conference was held in January 2023 where these themes were extensively discussed.
"Wide-ranging stakeholder consultations and brainstorming sessions with subject experts, academia and practitioners were held prior to the Conference in order to gain well-rounded grassroots-level perspectives," it read.
The 2nd Chief Secretaries Conference, attended by the Prime Minister, brought together select Secretaries from the Government of India and Chief Secretaries from all States/UTs who proactively participated by sharing thematic best practices and policy insights.
As the world's fifth-largest economy and the most populous nation, India is at a stage in its economic development trajectory where it can achieve accelerated growth over the next 25 years, stated an official release.
In this context, the 8th Governing Council Meeting provides an opportunity to create a roadmap for Viksit Bharat by 2047 in which the Centre and States can work together as Team India. This will play an important role in the international context as India's socioeconomic growth and transformation can have a positive and multiplier effect on the world at large.
This 8th Governing Council Meeting is also being held in the backdrop of India's G20 Presidency.
"India's G20 motto 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' conveys its civilisational values and its vision of the role of each country in creating the future of our planet. The emerging world has immense hopes for India's ability to provide values-based leadership and its capacity to deliver development at scale. The Centre and States have played a significant role in achieving this distinctive development trajectory," it read. (ANI)