Mamata, Kejriwal And 6 Other CMs Skip PM Modi's Niti Aayog Meet

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and their counterparts from six states skipped the NITI Aayog Council meeting presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

The 8th Governing Council Meeting is on the theme of 'Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Role of Team India' which will be held at the new Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

Apart from Mamata and Kejriwal, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Punjab's Bhagwant Mann, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin are also not attending the event.

CM Gehlot has cited health reasons for not attending the meeting, while CM Vijayan has not given any specific reason for his absence. Tamil Nadu CM Stalin is on an official foreign trip.

Eight prominent themes will be discussed during the day-long Meeting including - thrust on MSMEs, infrastructure and investments, women empowerment, health and nutrition, skill development, and Gati Shakti for area development and social infrastructure.

The Meeting will see the participation of Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors of all states and union territories, union ministers as ex-officio members, and the Vice Chairman and members of NITI Aayog.

"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. In this context, the 8th Governing Council Meeting provides an opportunity to create a roadmap for Viksit Bharat by 2047 in which 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," a statement from the PMO's Office said.