PM Narendra Modi, CMs to brainstorm on ‘ease of living’ parameters at Niti Aayog meet

Animesh Singh

New Delhi, July 19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to brainstorm with states’ Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories on key parameters for ensuring ‘ease of living’, namely facilities like education, drinking water, power and health during the governing council meeting of Niti Aayog next week.

Stormy scenes expected

• With ample representation of Opposition-ruled states, the meeting may witness stormy scenes. The INDIA bloc-ruled states are Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal
• Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have already begun the process of reviewing the criminal laws, while other Opposition-ruled states are also planning to do so, a development which could lead to some interesting discussions during the meeting

According to sources privy to the development, these parameters, which form the core of Centre’s oft-repeated concept of “Ease of Living”, are likely to be discussed threadbare in the ninth governing council meeting of Niti Aayog, which will be chaired by Modi on July 27.

Even as the NDA government has been emphasising on its focus on ensuring ease of living, the Opposition-ruled states are likely to corner him on the fact that why after 10 years of its rule, the BJP-led dispensation still needed a discussion on these basic parameters needed for all-round development.

Sources said the annual meeting would also see a discussion on an ‘approach paper’ for the vision document on Viksit Bharat@2047. During Modi’s discussions with the states’ CM’s, the focus will be on drinking water access, quality of electricity supply, affordability of health facilities across the country, status of education facilities and their accessibility to all, as well as digitisation and registration of land records and property, according to the agenda for the July 27 meeting accessed by The Tribune.

The meeting will also discuss the recommendations of the third national conference of Chief Secretaries, which was held in December 2023.

Meanwhile, a preparatory meeting for the main event was held on July 18 at Niti Aayog with resident commissioners of all states, which was chaired by the think-tank’s CEO BVR Subrahmanyam.

While in the past, several Opposition-ruled states have boycotted the governing council meetings, this time all the states, especially the nine INDIA bloc-ruled states, will be attending the key meet in full strength.

The only leader who will not be present is Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.

This newspaper had reported on July 18 that Opposition-ruled states were expected to raise the issue of review of the three criminal laws, which came into practice from July 1 onwards, in the meeting before the PM.

With ample representation of Opposition-ruled states, the meeting may witness stormy scenes. The INDIA bloc-ruled states are Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have already begun the process of reviewing the criminal laws, while other Opposition-ruled states are also planning to do so, a development which could lead to some interesting discussions during the meeting.

The Punjab Government’s long-delayed demand of release of pending amount of the Rural Development Fund (RDF) worth Rs 6,500 crore from the Centre is also expected to be raised during the meeting by CM Bhagwant Mann.

The AAP-led government has been consistently raising the RDF issue, with CM Bhagwant Mann having even alleged last year that the Centre was “unnecessarily harassing” the state by stalling the release of dues.