India’s federal structure became role model during Covid: PM Modi at NITI Aayog meet

India

oi-Prakash KL

New
Delhi,
Aug
06:
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
on
Sunday
heralded
the
collective
efforts
of
all
the
States
in
the
spirit
of
cooperative
federalism
as
the
force
that
helped
India
emerge
from
the
Covid
pandemic.

Addressing
the
seventh
meeting
of
the
Governing
Council
(GC)
of
NITI
Aayog,
the
Prime
Minister
said,
“Every
State
played
a
crucial
role
according
to
its
strength
and
contributed
to
India’s
fight
against
Covid.
This
led
to
India
emerging
as
an
example
for
the
developing
nations
to
look
up
to
as
a
global
leader.”

This
was
the
first
physical
meeting
of
the
Governing
Council
since
the
onset
of
the
pandemic,
with
the
2021
meeting
held
via
video
conferencing.
The
meeting
was
attended
by
23
Chief
Ministers,
3
Lieutenant
Governors
and
2
Administrators
and
Union
Ministers.
The
meeting
was
moderated
by
Defence
Minister
Rajnath
Singh.

In
his
inaugural
address,
the
Prime
Minister
said
India’s
federal
structure
and
cooperative
federalism
emerged
as
a
model
for
the
world
during
the
Covid
crisis.
He
said
that
India
had
sent
a
powerful
message
to
the
developing
nations
of
the
world-that
it
is
possible
to
overcome
challenges
with
resilience
despite
resource
limitations.
The
PM
said
that
the
credit
for
this
goes
to
the
State
Governments,
which
focused
on
grassroots
delivery
of
public
services
to
the
people
through
cooperation
across
political
lines.

The
Prime
Minister
highlighted
that
the
seventh
meeting
was
a
culmination
of
months
of
rigorous
brainstorming
and
consultations
between
the
Centre
and
States
to
identify
national
priorities.
“For
the
first
time
in
India’s
75
years
of
independence,
all
of
India’s
Chief
Secretaries
met
together
in
one
place
and
deliberated
issues
of
national
importance
for
three
days.
This
collective
process
led
to
the
development
of
the
agenda
for
this
meeting,”
the
PM
said.

This
year,
the
Governing
Council
discussed
four
key
agenda
items:

(i)
crop
diversification
and
achieving
self-sufficiency
in
pulses,
oilseeds
and
other
agri-commodities;

(ii)
implementation
of
National
Education
Policy
(NEP)
in
school
education;

(iii)
implementation
of
National
Education
Policy
in
higher
education;
and

(iv)
urban
governance.

The
Prime
Minister
highlighted
the
importance
of
all
of
the
above
issues,
especially
the
need
for
India
to
focus
on
modernized
agriculture,
animal
husbandry,
and
food
processing
to
become
self-sufficient
and
a
global
leader
in
the
agriculture
sector.
He
said
rapid
urbanization
can
become
India’s
strength
instead
of
weakness
by
leveraging
technology
to
ensure
ease
of
living,
transparent
service
delivery,
and
improvement
in
the
quality
of
life
for
every
citizen
of
urban
India.

The
PM
also
spoke
about
India’s
G20
presidency
in
2023
and
called
it
a
unique
opportunity
to
show
the
world
that
India
is
not
just
Delhi-it
is
every
State
and
Union
Territory
of
the
country.
The
PM
said
we
should
develop
a
mass
movement
around
G20.
This
will
allow
us
to
identify
the
best
talent
available
in
the
country.
He
also
said
there
should
be
a
dedicated
team
for
G20
in
the
States
to
derive
the
maximum
possible
benefit
from
this
initiative.
Speaking
about
this,
the
Union
Minister
of
External
Affairs,
Shri
S.
Jaishankar,
said,
“The
G20
Presidency
presents
a
great
opportunity
and
a
great
responsibility.
For
the
first
time
in
the
history
of
G20,
India
will
host
the
G20
meetings
over
the
year,
not
only
in
Delhi,
but
in
every
State
and
Union
Territory.”

While
highlighting
several
initiatives
undertaken
to
boost
learning
outcomes,
capacity-building
of
teachers,
and
skilling,
Union
Minister
of
Education,
Dharmendra
Pradhan,
thanked
and
requested
further
support
of
the
States
for
the
successful
implementation
of
the
National
Education
Policy.

Vice
Chairman,
NITI
Aayog,
Suman
Bery,
reiterated
that
India’s
transformation
has
to
take
place
in
its
states.
He
reaffirmed
the
need
for
the
combined
efforts
of
the
Centre
and
States
to
realize
the
vision
of
a
resurgent
India
post
the
pandemic.

Every
Chief
Minister
and
Lt
Governor
present
at
the
meeting
addressed
the
meeting,
highlighting
the
priorities,
achievements,
and
challenges
of
their
respective
States
and
Union
Territories
with
a
special
focus
on
the
four
key
agenda
items.

In
his
closing
remarks,
the
Prime
Minister
said
that
each
state
should
focus
on
promoting
its
3Ts,
Trade,
Tourism,
Technology,
through
every
Indian
Mission
around
the
world.
He
said
the
States
must
focus
on
reducing
imports,
increasing
exports
and
identifying
opportunities
for
the
same
in
every
state.
“We
should
encourage
people
to
use
local
goods
wherever
possible,”
he
said.
‘Vocal
for
local’ is
not
the
agenda
of
an
individual
political
party
but
a
common
goal,
he
said.

The
PM
said
even
though
GST
collection
has
improved,
our
potential
is
much
more.
“Increasing
GST
collection
requires
collective
action
by
the
Centre
and
States.
It
is
crucial
for
strengthening
our
economic
position
and
becoming
a
USD
5
trillion
economy,”
he
said.

Speaking
on
the
National
Education
Policy,
the
PM
said
the
NEP
has
been
formulated
after
considerable
deliberations.
He
said
we
should
involve
all
stakeholders
in
its
implementation
and
develop
a
clear,
timebound
roadmap
for
the
same.

He
expressed
his
gratitude
to
the
CMs
and
LGs
for
participating
in
the
meeting
and
sharing
their
views
and
experiences.
He
said
NITI
Aayog
will
study
the
states’ concerns,
challenges,
and
best
practices
and
subsequently
plan
the
way
forward.
He
said
the
issues
discussed
in
this
meeting
will
define
the
national
priorities
for
the
next
25
years,
adding
that
the
seeds
we
sow
today
will
define
the
fruits
reaped
by
India
in
2047.

The
Principal
Secretary
to
the
PM,
NITI
Aayog
Vice
Chairman,
Members
and
CEO,
the
Cabinet
Secretary,
Secretaries
(DoPT,
Culture,
DoSE&L,
Higher
Education
&MoHUA),
Chief
Secretaries
of
States
and
Union
Territories,
and
other
senior
officers
from
the
PMO,
Cabinet
Secretariat,
NITI
Aayog
attended
the
seventh
meeting.