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The meeting was attended by 26 participants including chief ministers and deputy governors of various federal territories. (Photo/PTI)
The absentees include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Puducherry
As many as 10 states and union territories did not participate in the ninth council meeting of NITI Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, NITI Aayog chief executive BVR Subrahmanyam said on Saturday.
Briefing the media, he said that a total of 26 participants attended the meeting, including the Chief Minister and Deputy Governor of the Union Territory.
Among the absentees were Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Puducherry, he Adding, “If they don't participate, it's their loss.”
On West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who walked out of the meeting, Subramaniam said her request to speak before lunch had been accepted even though she would have been scheduled to speak in alphabetical order of states. I should speak in the afternoon.
The NITI Aayog executive further said that when her time came, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh tapped the microphone lightly and she stopped speaking and walked out. He added that while West Bengal government officials continued to attend the meeting.
Regarding Bihar, he said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could not attend the meeting as he was busy with the assembly session in the state.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on the occasion, NITI Aayog vice-chairman Suman Beri said he wanted states to compete for FDI so that investments can reach all states, especially those that are less successful.
The meeting also discussed population management and the concept of zero poverty.
Subramaniam further said that the Prime Minister wants states to invest more in regions so that they become the driving force of economic growth.
The Prime Minister also appreciated the “zero poverty” idea proposed by some states and said villages should be targeted.
The NITI Aayog CEO added that he said after assessment, these villages can be declared “zero poverty villages”.
(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from United News Agency-PTI)
