Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Skips NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik skipped the Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog held in New Delhi on Saturday.

Sources said the chief minister was not able to attend the meeting Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he had prior commitment.

While no official statement has been released by the CMO, Naveen stated to be currently reviewing performance of every department ahead of completion of fourth year of his existing 5th term. The CM is reportedly reviewing the performance of three departments on Saturday.

However, the Chief Minister is likely to attend the inauguration of the new Parliament building to be held in the national capital on Sunday. His party, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), has already distanced itself from the  opposition parties’ call to skip the “momentous occasion”.

Notably, the Chief Ministers of at least nine other states – Punjab, Delhi, Telangana, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, and Karnataka are skipping the 8^th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog. All these states are ruled by non-BJP political parties.

As per reports, the Prime Minister is slated to deliberate on issues related to health, skill development, women empowerment and infrastructure development, with the aim of making India a developed nation by 2047.

Eight prominent themes are being discussed during the day-long meeting including “Viksit Bharat@2047, thrust on MSMEs, infrastructure and investments, minimising compliance, women empowerment, health and nutrition, skill development and Gati Shakti for area development and social infrastructure.”

“This 8th Governing Council Meeting is also being held against the backdrop of India’s G20 Presidency. India’s G20 motto ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ conveys its civilisational values and its vision of the role of each country in creating the future of our planet,” the NITI Aayog reportedly said.

While the chief ministers of two AAP-ruled states — Punjab and Delhi — had announced their decision to boycott the NITI Aayog’s meeting, the other states have cited various reasons for not attending the meeting.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal decided to boycott the in a protest against the ‘ordinance’ by the Central Government which overturned the Supreme Court’s order on control over services.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is not attending the Niti Aayog meeting to protest against Centre not paying Rs 3,600 crore to the state towards rural development fee (RDF).