Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog

Challenge to turn India’s growth rate to double digits: Modi

June 17, 2018

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Indian economy grew at a healthy 7.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2017-18 and the challenge now is to turn this to “double digits”.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog

“The challenge now is to take this growth rate to double digits, for which many more important steps have to be taken. The vision of a New India by 2022 is now a resolve of the people of our country,” Modi told the fourth meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council.

A broad range of issues will be discussed at the meeting including measures taken to double farmers’ income, development of aspirational districts, progress of flagship schemes like Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission, Mission Indradhanush and the celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The Governing Council is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the active involvement of states in shaping the development narrative.

It reviews the work done during the previous year and deliberates upon the future developmental priorities.

The Prime Minister welcomed Chief Ministers and other delegates saying the governing council was a platform that can bring about “historic change”. The Chief Ministers of Delhi, Odisha, Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura were not present.

He assured that the Centre would provide all the required assistance to flood-hit states.

Modi praised the Chief Ministers for playing a key role in policy formulation, through sub-groups and committees on issues such as Swachh Bharat Mission, Digital Transactions and Skill Development.

Modi announced that 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres are being constructed under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and about 10 crore families will be provided health assurance worth Rs 5 lakh every year.

He added that a comprehensive approach was being adopted for education under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.

He said all aspects and parameters of human development needed to be addressed and improved.

“The Gram Swaraj Abhiyan has emerged as a new model for implementation of schemes and this has so far been extended to 45,000 villages.”

The target was universal coverage in seven important welfare schemes: Ujjwala, Saubhagya, Ujala, Jan Dhan, Jeevan Jyoti Yojana, Suraksha Bima Yojana and Mission Indradhanush, Modi said.

“India has no shortage of capabilities, capacities and resources and in the current financial year states are receiving over Rs 11 lakh crore from the Centre, which represents an increase of about Rs 6 lakh crore, from the last year of the previous government,” Modi said.

This gathering represented the “hopes and aspirations of the people of India” and it was also the responsibility of this gathering to make all efforts to fulfil them, he added.

 

 

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A day before the Niti Aayog meeting, four non-BJP Chief Ministers extended their support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s sit-in protest at Lt. Governor’s office, saying there is a “constitutional crisis” in the state and they will urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to solve the issue at the earliest. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu visiting the residence of Delhi Chief MInister Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi The Chief Ministers – West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka’s H.D. Kumaraswamy and Andhra Pradesh’s N. Chandrababu Naidu – also accused the Central government of “restricting the federal system”, terming it a threat to the nation. They also said they were denied permission to meet Kejriwal and the Lt Governor Anil Baijal even after having waited for long, asking how was it possible in a “democracy”. “This is a constitutional crisis. But there should never be such crisis due to which a government and the common people have to suffer,” said Banerjee at a joint press conference with Vijayan, Kumaraswamy and Naidu. “We will tell the Prime Minister to intervene in this matter and solve it. Had the President been here, we would have told him too. This is a democracy and that is not how a democracy functions.  “They (the Centre and the Lt Gov) are not allowing the government to function. They (the Kejriwal regime) say they are not able to work. What they will do. Their work has been obstructed and restricted,” she said.  To show solidarity to Kejriwal’s protest demanding IAS officers to end their non-cooperation with his government, the four Chief Ministers visited Kejriwal’s residence, where they met his wife and other members of his family.  “We have come here to show solidarity with Kejriwal. Politics is there in its own place,” they said.  “Because of the attitude of Central government this has happened. Centre is restricting the federal system which is a threat to the nation. Everyone is with him (Kejriwal). All the democratic people are with Delhi Chief Minister,” Vijayan said.  “We want the issue should be solved and there should not be any fight on this. The mandate of the people of Delhi should be respected,” Banerjee said, noting that if such a “small problem” of Delhi can not be solved, how can the country’s problems be solved.  “LG is the appointed leader, if not him then to whose doors will one go and knock? They should have solved the matter among themselves. Why did it take so long,” she asked and pointed that how the Lt. Governor did not meet Kejriwal who is on protest for six days for even six minutes. The four Chief Ministers, who had met here to discuss the issue, also wrote a joint letter to Baijal seeking to meet Kejriwal but again verbally denied on the pretext that Baijal is out.  “We tried our best as per the Constitution to seek permission from the LG to meet Arvind and him. He (the Lt Gov) has not given us permission. If he has not given us permission, then don’t consider us so small that we are like street beggars. Even we have due respect,” Banerjee said. “We waited for three-four hours to meet the Lt. Governor. In a democracy, how can I not meet a Chief Minister and an Lt. Governor in a democracy. This is not democracy.”  In the evening, Banerjee attended a meeting at Andhra Bhawan with her counterparts Vijayan, Kumaraswamy and Naidu.  The four Chief Ministers met shortly after Baijal declined permission to Banerjee to meet Kejriwal. She had planned to go to the protest site — Lt. Governor’s residential office — along with Naidu.  Informed sources said the four Chief Ministers were planning a strategy on how to strengthen Kejriwal’s hands. Kejriwal, along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Cabinet ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, is camping at Raj Niwas since Monday demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike. He also wants the central government to approve his government’s proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. 

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