Is boycotting NITI Aayog meeting equivalent to stifling state development? Here's how

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired the eighth Governing Council Meeting of the NITI Aayog at the new Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan in the national capital. While several Chief Ministers participated in this NITI Aayog meet, eight CMs including Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Telangana CM KCR, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar skipped it. 

Hitting out at the 8 CMs who skipped the NITI Aayog meet, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said that people of the states whose CMs boycotted the meeting would not be able to reap the benefits of discussions on the important issues. "100 issues are proposed to be debated in the 8th Governing Council Meeting, and the opposition CMs boycotting this is unfortunate. Their boycott of this event is resulting in not bringing here the voice of the people of their States. How far will they go in protest against Modi?" he questioned.

"Important discussions take place in the Governing Council, important decisions are taken and then these decisions are implemented on the ground. But despite this why are these Chief Ministers not coming? Why are these Chief Ministers doing harm to the people of their state? This is all very unfortunate and irresponsible," the BJP leader added.

Notably, the NITI Aayog GCM meeting acts as an opportunity for the Centre and states to work together to identify key developmental issues and resolve them jointly. The Governing Council Meetings held in the past have led to substantial outcomes on the ground leading to several development works in the states. Here are some of the key highlights:

Key outcomes of past GCM meetings that benefitted states:

Agenda: To develop a modern urban development model 

In the past GCM meetings, the agenda was set to develop a modern urban development model in states in order to address issues such as urban planning, HRD, capacity building, skilling, urban employment, migration, mobility, urban taxation and governance.   

Outcomes:

• 2,530 cities have implemented Online Building Permit System (OBPS) in 30 States/ UTs.
• 10 States have put in place Transit Oriented Development (TOD) policy and have identified corridors.
• Implementation of National Urban Digital Mission: An All-India open source software developed under NUDM, enabling 9 services online. All urban and city services are to be made online by 2026. 
• Financial Ranking of Cities: City Finance ranking portal was made live on 20 March 2023.
• Data of urban governance programmes integrated with PM Gati Shakti portal.

Agenda: To identify and deliver services to the remotest corner using these networks

One of the key objectives discussed was the importance of promptly facilitating the establishment of national infrastructure, including optic fibre cables and 5G networks, by ensuring the provision of necessary infrastructure and approvals. It was resolved to leverage these networks to identify and deliver services to even the most remote areas, emphasising the goal of reaching every corner of the country.

Outcomes:

• Deployment of 5G cells, Indian Telegraph Right of Way (RoW) Rules, 2016 amended dated 17th August 2022.
• "GatiShakti Sanchar Portal” launched in May 2022, which is a collaborative institutional mechanism between all stakeholders to facilitate the Right of Way (RoW) Application Process through a single interface.
• BharatNet is being implemented in a phased manner to provide connectivity at all Gram Panchayats (approx. 2,50,000) with broadband in the country and expansion in its scope.
• By March 2023, 6.2 lakh kilometre Optical Fibre Cable has been laid, more than 1.96 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been connected by Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) and 1.85 lakh GPs are service ready on OFC. Besides, 4702 GPs have been connected over satellite media.
• To enable the shared telecommunication Infrastructure, “Infrastructure Providers Category-I (IP-1)” registrations are issued to the entities, irrespective of telecom licensees, to provide passive telecom infrastructure namely Dark Fibers, Duct Space, Mobile Towers and RoW (Right of Way). Notably, as of 31-Mar-2023, there are a total of 1,386 IP-1 registrations have been issued. 

Agenda: NIRF ranking for all universities

During the General Council Meeting (GCM), it was decided that one of the action items would be the implementation of mandatory NIRF rankings for all universities, including agricultural universities. The resolution emphasized the importance of all higher education institutes joining the NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) and NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) to improve their rankings. 

Outcomes:

• NIRF portal opened for registration of HEIs for India Rankings 2023 including registration of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for Agriculture and Allied Sectors in addition to existing categories and subject disciplines. Applications are being encouraged through advertisement.
• Notably, 64 out of 67 Agricultural Universities have applied for the NIRF ranking. Others are in the process of application.
• All Agricultural Universities have initiated the process of joining NAAC. Some have already joined while others are in the various stages of getting NAAC accreditation.

8th GCM NITI Aayog meeting

Themed on ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Role of Team India', the GMC is expected to have 100+  important issues which will be discussed by members, including a roadmap to be laid down on -- (i) Viksit Bharat@2047, (ii) Thrust on MSMEs, (iii) Infrastructure and Investments, (iv) Minimising Compliances, (v) Women Empowerment, (vi) Health and Nutrition, (vii) Skill Development, and (viii) Gati Shakti for area development and social infrastructure. 

"India’s growth is closely interlinked with the growth of States. As mentioned by the Prime Minister in his 76th Independence Day address, ‘When our States grow, India grows’. This will be the guiding spirit of India’s inclusive and sustainable vision for the next quarter century. In order to achieve this vision, the 8th Governing Council Meeting would provide a platform for strengthening Centre-State cooperation and forging partnerships for achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat @ 2047," NITI Aayog said in a statement.