By Aroshi Agarwal
I have limited knowledge about Sanskrit, but after reading a piece by Dr Rajiv Kumar, the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, I have developed a deep appreciation for it. His beautiful explanation of NITI Aayog inspired me, and I have decided to enhance my understanding of Sanskrit. He described NITI Aayog as an elegant name for a new era. NITI represents the National Institution for Transforming India, while ‘niti’ pleasingly at the same time means ‘policy’ in Sanskrit and Hindi. ‘Aayog’ means ‘Commission’.
As in previous years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again chaired the 10th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Chief Ministers and Lt Governors from 24 states and 7 Union Territories (UTs) were in attendance. This year’s theme focused on Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047. The conference began with a minute of silence to remember the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist incident.
The council held its inaugural meeting on February 8, 2015, after the government replaced the Planning Commission with a new institution named NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India).
Skive
The NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting is a great platform for state chief ministers to speak on behalf of their respective states, but in recent years, I have noticed that NDA Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and N Rangasamy have both skipped this year’s and last year’s NITI Aayog Governing Council meetings.
On the other side, non-NDA Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting for unknown reasons.
Trust me, the actions of both NDA and non-NDA chief ministers sent the wrong message to their state’s people, as they missed the golden opportunity to present their respective state’s issues during the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting.
Interestingly, Kerala Chief Minister Monsiter Vijayan has declined to attend the conference and has instead appointed deputed his cabinet colleague and state finance minister KN Balagopal to do so. Last year, Vijayan did not attend a Niti Aayog meeting of Chief Ministers in Delhi and instead sent Balagopal.
However, the exact reason for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s absence from the meeting is unknown.
This is not the first occasion that Bihar’s chief minister, Nitish Kumar, has missed a Niti Aayog meeting. He also did not attend the 2023 Governing Council meeting. In 2024, he opted not to attend once more, with Bihar represented by deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha instead. This year, the meeting saw representation from Bihar through Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.
Similarly, Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy, who leads the AINRC-led NDA coalition in the union territory, did not attend the event. Rangasamy had also missed the meeting last year.
Lastly, the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, was noted as absent from the meeting. The reason for her decision not to attend remains undisclosed.
The council, the apex body of Niti Aayog, includes all state chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and numerous Union ministers. Prime Minister Modi serves as Niti Aayog’s chairperson.
It is the Prime Minister’s first significant meeting with the chief ministers of all states and lieutenant governors since Operation Sindoor.
In the meantime, Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subramanyam noted that nearly 17 states have either prepared and released or are close to releasing their vision documents regarding Viksit Bharat.The documents were aligned with national priorities, while being grounded in local realities, he said.
Addressing a news conference after the meeting, Subramanyam stated that there were two items on the agenda, apart from an action taken report
What Prime Minister said
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 10th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on May 24th, 2025. It was attended by Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors representing 24 States and 7 UTs. This year’s theme was Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047. The meeting commenced with a minute of silence in the remembrance of the victims of Pahalgam terrorist attack.
The prime minister said that it is the aspiration of every Indian for the country to be a Viksit Bharat. It is not the agenda of any party but the aspiration of 140 crore Indians. He observed that if all States work together towards this goal, then we will make stupendous progress. He also said that we should commit that every State, every city, every village will be developed, and then Viksit Bharat will be achieved much before 2047.
The Prime Minister Modi said that India has emerged among top five economies of the world and 25 crore have escaped poverty. He emphasised that India needs to increase the speed of this transformation. He encouraged States to leverage their manufacturing strengths. He said that the Government of India has announced the Manufacturing Mission.
The Prime Minister observed that Global investors are hugely interested in India. He encouraged the States to utilise this opportunity and make it easy for investments. Citing recent trade agreements with UAE, UK and Australia, he said States should utilise it to the optimum.
Emphasizing on skilling, Prime Minister said that NEP gives emphasis on Education and Skill. He said States must plan for various skills which are attuned to modern technologies like AI, Semiconductor, 3D printing. He said that we can become the Skill Capital of the world because of our demographic dividend. Prime Minister said that a Rs 60,000 crore scheme for skilling has been approved by GoI. States must focus on modern training infrastructure and rural training hubs to enhance Skilling.
He cited cyber security as a challenge as well as an opportunity. Hydrogen and Green Energy were emphasised by him as arenas of immense potential and opportunities.
The Prime Minister Modi said that G20 Summit helped India to be recognised as a global tourist destination but States should leverage the opportunity. He urged the States to develop at least one tourist destination of global standards and expectations. He said that 25-30 such tourist destinations can be created across India.
He observed that India is urbanising rapidly. He asked the States to make cities the engine of sustainability and growth and urged them to focus on Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. He noted that a Rs 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund is being created for seed money.
The Prime Minister emphasised on the huge strength of India’s Nari Shakti. He urged to change laws for women so that they can join the growth trajectory. He observed that there should be reforms in public and private sectors for working women with focus on their ease of working.
He encouraged States to Interlink Rivers within States to battle water scarcity as well as floods. He appreciated Bihar which has recently started Kosi-Mochi connection grid. He also appreciated Aspirational Districts Programme which has been a success through collective efforts.
The Prime Minister said that in agriculture, we must focus on lab to land. He talked about the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan in which about 2,500 scientists will go to villages and Rural Centres in the coming days in which they will deliberate on topics such as crop diversification and chemical-free farming. He asked all CMs to support this endeavour.
The Prime Minister Modi emphasized on the need to focus on health services delivery. He said that we must check for oxygen plants and preparations to be ready for any Covid related challenges. He said that the States need to expand telemedicine so that good doctors’ can be connected from District Hospitals and E-Sanjeevani & teleconsultation benefits should be made available.
He mentioned that ‘Operation Sindoor should not be treated as a one-off initiative and we must adopt a long-term approach. Prime Minister mentioned that we must modernize our approach to civil preparedness. He said that the recent mock drills have reignited our attention to civil defence states should institutionalize Civil Defence preparedness.
The Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors praised Operation Sindoor for its precision and targeted strikes which led to destruction of terror infrastructure. In one voice, they praised PM’s leadership and the valour of the Armed Forces. They also praised the efforts towards Aatmanirbharta in the defence sector which have strengthened the defence forces and bolstered confidence in our capabilities.
The Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors gave various suggestions for the vision of Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat @ 2047 and also discussed steps being taken in their States. Some of the key suggestions and best practices highlighted were in the fields of agriculture, education and skill development, entrepreneurship, drinking water, reducing compliances, governance, digitalisation, women empowerment, cyber security, etc. Several States also shared their endeavours to create a State Vision for 2047.
The Prime Minister asked NITI Aayog to study the suggestions of States and Union Territories (UTs) made during the meeting. He said the 10th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog is a milestone of its 10 years of journey which defines and outlines the vision for 2047.
He observed that the Governing Council Meetings have helped in nation building and it has emerged as a platform for joint action and shared aspirations. He expressed his gratitude to all the Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors for participating in the meeting and sharing their views and experiences, and expressed confidence that India is progressing on the path to fulfil the vision of Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat @2047 through the power of cooperative federalism.
This piece was originally published in the May 25 print edition of the National Political Mirror.
