NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi on Saturday. The meeting was attended by Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors from 20 States and 6 Union Territories.

In his address, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of cooperative federalism and collective efforts by the Centre and States to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047. He highlighted India’s significant economic progress over the past decade, noting that the country has risen from the 10th to the 5th largest economy in the world. The goal, he said, is now to become the third-largest economy.

PM Modi called for each State and District to create a vision for 2047 to realize Viksit Bharat @ 2047, stressing that the vision must reach the grassroots level. He lauded the success of the Aspirational Districts Programme, attributing it to continuous and online monitoring of measurable parameters, which fostered healthy competition among districts.

The Prime Minister underscored the need for skilling and training youth to make them employment-ready, noting the global demand for skilled Indian human resources. He also directed NITI Aayog to prepare an ‘Investment-friendly Charter’ to attract investments, stressing the importance of law and order, good governance, and infrastructure over mere incentives.

PM Modi encouraged the creation of River Grids at the State level for effective utilization of water resources and called for targeting Zero Poverty, emphasizing an individual-based approach to poverty eradication. He also urged States to increase productivity and diversification in agriculture, provide market linkages to farmers, and adopt Natural Farming practices.

Addressing future demographic challenges, the Prime Minister suggested States initiate Demographic Management Plans to address issues related to population ageing. He also stressed the importance of capacity building of government officials at all levels, urging collaboration with the Capacity Building Commission.

Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors presented various suggestions and shared best practices in agriculture, education, skill development, entrepreneurship, digitalization, women empowerment, and more. PM Modi directed NITI Aayog to study these suggestions and thanked the participants for their contributions, expressing confidence in achieving Viksit Bharat @ 2047 through cooperative federalism.