PM Modi may exhort states to work with Centre at NITI meet

New Delhi, July 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to impress upon states to follow Centre's policies for rapid development and high economic growth at the third meeting of the NITI Aayog's Governing Council on July 30.

"The meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog (to be) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being scheduled for July 30, 2016," a source said.

NITI Aayog, the source said, has worked out a detailed agenda for the meeting, adding that the Centre will try to convince states about its policies and schemes as "these will lead the nation to a high economic growth trajectory".

The Governing Council comprises all chief ministers and ex-officio members who include home, finance, railway and agriculture ministers.

At the meeting, the task force on poverty alleviation will submit its report, and so will the task force on 'future development of agriculture in the state and how the Centre can assist states in this regard'. Both panels were set up during the first meeting of the NITI Aayog on February 8 last year.

The Aayog will present the mid-term review of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17). The Centre has already decided to do away with the Five-Year Plan structure.

An approach paper to prepare a 15-year vision document with main focus on poverty alleviation will also be presented. Besides the focus on sectors like infrastructure, commerce, education and health, the vision document will cover internal security and defence that were not part of the earlier Plans.

The policy-making body has been mandated to come up with a 15-year vision document for a period of up to 2030, which will be co-terminus with sustainable development goals.

The NITI Aayog is also working on a 7-year strategy starting from 2017-18 to 2023-24 to convert a vision document into implementable policy and action as part of the National Development Agenda.

It will also prepare a 3-year action plan for 2017-18 to 2019-20 as part of the National Development Agenda, which will be aligned with the 14th Finance Commission award period. The action plan is important because 2016-17 is the terminal year of the 12th Five-Year Plan.

PTI