States play vital role in taking nation’s progress further: Modi at Niti Aayog meet

PRime government minister Narendra Modi on th asked states to equilibrize the opportunities of unreal intelligence service with safeguards against emerging social challenges, such as cyber fraud and drug abuse, while warning of risks posed by El Nino conditions and calling for stronger water conservation measures.Chairing the 11th governing council meeting of Niti Aayog, Modi also noted that while many major economies face uncertainty and economic challenges, India’s growth story continues to inspire the world.All 28 states and five Union Territories attended the day-long meeting, marking a first. CHECK“Talked about a wide range of issues, including emphasising on self-reliance, adopting global best practices and strengthening the journey of reforms. Reiterated our commitment towards cooperative federalism, in line with our Government’s belief that the states play a vital role in furthering national progress,” Modi said on X.At the meeting, Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay renewed the state’s opposition to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, saying the entrance examination has disadvantaged students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds, and urged the Centre to allow admissions to state quota medical seats based solely on Class XII scores.Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav said his government succeeded in eliminating Maoism from the state ahead of the deadline set by the Centre. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said the meeting held detailed deliberations on advancing the goal of a developed India by focusing on inclusive human development, good governance and public participation. Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu presented the state’s Swarna Andhra 2047 vision, outlining a roadmap to transform the state into a prosperous, inclusive and globally competitive economy by 2047. Telangana CM Revanth Reddy reiterated his earlier proposal for the constitution of an “M-6 Task Force” for the development of six major economic growth engines -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. He sought a dedicated fund of ₹6 lakh crore, with ₹1 lakh crore earmarked for each of the six cities to strengthen urban infrastructure.In the meeting, Modi emphasised the need to strengthen the nation’s resolve towards self-reliance and highlighted the importance of adopting and implementing global best practices, particularly in the renewable energy sector. Referring to India’s recently concluded trade agreements with several countries, Modi asked states to create opportunities for youth and MSMEs and equip stakeholders to effectively leverage benefits from these agreements.He also advised states to attract investments from partner countries. Underscoring the importance of cooperative federalism, Modi stated that the centre and states must work together to achieve the goal of a Viksit Bharat (developed India), according to an official statement. The PM stressed that the vision of Viksit Bharat should become the collective resolve of every state, district, block and village.Highlighting the importance of good governance, transparency, and infrastructure for attracting investment, Modi asked states to focus on branding, ease of doing business, and emerging opportunities in sectors such as data centres and artificial intelligence.Modi said the focus should also be on next-generation manufacturing. He further said that artificial intelligence (AI) should be viewed as an opportunity and called for greater efforts to equip people with the skills required for the future economy.Modi termed India’s 700 million young people its asset, and urged states to transform this “demographic dividend into development dividend”.Vijay said the state should be permitted to fill all state quota seats in MBBS, BDS and AYUSH courses without requiring NEET. “The state is opposed to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses, as its introduction has affected students from rural and socio-economically disadvantaged families,” Vijay said in his speech. “The Government of Tamil Nadu may be permitted to fill all seats under the State quota in MBBS, BDS and AYUSH courses based solely on Class XII marks.”Tamil Nadu has been demanding exemption from NEET since it was first conducted in 2013.NITI Aayog vice-chairman Ashok Lahiri said discussions centred on “inclusive human development” as part of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, with a focus on education, healthcare, employment and welfare across different stages of life. The meeting went on for over eight hours. Asked whether the ongoing conflict in West Asia and its potential impact on energy prices figured in the discussions,NITI Aayog CEO Rajiv Gauba said the issue was “at the back of the mind” of participants. However, he said no state specifically requested assistance because of the situation. The conversation instead remained centred on human development, with some references to energy security and the need to accelerate the GOBARdhan scheme as part of efforts to strengthen domestic energy resilience. “Just because the West Asia crisis is there, we can’t be paralysed. We have to keep doing our work,” Lahiri said.Gauba said requests for central funds did not dominate the meeting, although some states did raise specific demands. On West Bengal, Lahiri said CM Suvendu Adhikari argued that the state continues to grapple with challenges stemming from decades of rule by previous governments, including 34 years of Left Front rule and 15 years under the Trinamool Congress.NITI Aayog member KV Raju said 20 states have already prepared their Viksit Bharat blueprints, while another 10 are working on them. He added that three newly elected chief ministers - without naming them - actively participated in the discussions, raising issues such as elderly care, professional education and support for peripheral ring roads through public-private partnerships.