At NITI Aayog meeting, PM Modi pitches for ‘New India’ and takes up challenge of double digit growth

New Delhi, June 18: Indian Economy has grown at a healthy rate of 7.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017-18 and challenged now is to take this growth rate to double digits. This was said by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday in his remarks at the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, in Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural Centre in New Delhi.

Notably, the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog was attended by 23 Chief Ministers and the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, apart from Union Ministers, who are ex-officio members and special invitees.

Welcoming the Chief Ministers and other delegates, the Prime Minister firstly reiterated that the Governing Council is a platform that can bring about "historic change." He assured the Chief Ministers from flood-affected States that the Union Government would provide all assistance to them, to deal with the flood situation currently affecting parts of the country.

In his opening remark, PM Modi said that the Governing Council has approached complex issues of governance as "Team India", in the spirit of cooperative, competitive federalism. He described the smooth rollout and implementation of GST as a prime example of this.

The Prime Minister said that Chief Ministers of States had played a key role in policy formulation, through sub-groups and committees on issues such as Swachh Bharat Mission, Digital Transactions and Skill Development. “The recommendations of these sub-groups have been incorporated by various Ministries of the Union Government,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that the Indian Economy has grown at a healthy rate of 7.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017-18. He added that the challenge now is to take this growth rate to double digits, for which many more important steps have to be taken. He said that the vision of a New India by 2022, is now a resolve of the people of our country. In this context, he mentioned the issues on the agenda today, including doubling of farmers income, development of aspirational districts, Ayushman Bharat, Mission Indradhanush, Nutrition Mission and celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The Prime Minister said that 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres are being constructed under Ayushman Bharat. He said about 10 crore families will be provided health assurance worth Rs. 5 lakhs every year. He said a comprehensive approach is being adopted for education, under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.

The Prime Minister said that schemes such as Mudra Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana and Stand Up India, are helping in greater financial inclusion. He emphasized the need for tackling economic imbalances on priority. He said that all aspects and parameters of human development need to be addressed and improved upon in the 115 aspirational districts.

PM Modi also said that the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan has emerged as a new model for implementation of schemes. He said that this has so far been extended to 45,000 villages in the Aspirational Districts. He said that the target is universal coverage in seven important welfare schemes: Ujjwala, Saubhagya, Ujala, Jan Dhan, Jeevan Jyoti Yojana, Suraksha Bima Yojana, and Mission Indradhanush. He said this target was recently accomplished in about 17,000 villages.

The Prime Minister said that India has no shortage of capabilities, capacities and resources. He said that in the current financial year, States are receiving over 11 lakh crore rupees from the Centre, which represents an increase of about 6 lakh crore rupees, from the last year of the previous government.

The Prime Minister said that this gathering represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of India. He, in the end, said it is also the responsibility of this gathering to make all efforts to fulfil them.

During the meeting, NITI Aayog said that development agenda for 'New India 2022' would be finalized in a month or so after seeking comments from states. Importantly, NITI Aayog will soon invite States for consultations on how to improve the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in India and also to improve the ‘Ease of Living’ for the common man.

The Chief Ministers of the various States highlighted issues such as adaptation to climate change, the need to design and implement State-specific schemes to suit local needs. They also presented the work done by the various states in implementing the Ayushman Bharat and the Aspirational Districts Programme. All Chief Ministers also expressed their commitment to celebrating the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in a befitting manner.

After the meeting was concluded, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog as a platform to inspire cooperative federalism, stressing the need for effective center-state cooperation to advance development outcomes and achieve double-digit growth for India. He called upon States to fix growth targets for their economies as the world looks towards India soon becoming a USD 5 trillion economy.

He advised the States to pay special attention to expanding their exports and attracting export-oriented investment while organizing their investments summits and events. The Prime Minister also called upon the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh to work together to make recommendations on a coordinated policy approach on the subject of ‘Agriculture and MNREGA’. He also encouraged States to explore opportunities to increase corporate investment in agriculture, such as in food processing, warehousing and logistics.

The Prime Minister also took into consideration States’ concerns over the Terms of Reference of the Fifteenth Finance Commission and encouraged States to think of new ideas or a new formula, which incentivizes states for their performance.

PM Modi called for exploring the possibility of holding simultaneous and the advantages of a common voter list for each State.