NEW DELHI: Making India a hub of manufacturing through state-level changes and reforms along with “reinventing agriculture”, which includes a renewed farming pattern with a attention on exports, will be key aspects of the “National Development Agenda” that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will discuss with ministers in chief of state at the Niti Aayog governing council meeting on Saturday.
While the majority of chief ministers are expected to attend the meeting, West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee and Punjab’s Captain Amarinder Singh can skip the discussions. Along with manufacturing and the agricultural sector, the agenda also has a significant focus on health infrastructure, especially at the primary level and improving provision of services on the bases.
The meeting is also expected to deliberate on measures to reduce the compliance burden through business process reforms and cutting logistics costs to boost exports. “The drive is to create jobs,” said a source. The Council will discuss in detail the need to reinvent agriculture with a focus on crop diversification, water conservation and food processing for export. Issues related to propping up the physical infrastructure through the National Infrastructure pipeline and PPP projects will also be discussed.
It will also examine ways to improve Human Resources development, training and refinement and mapping of resource requirements globally. The agenda also includes the improvement of urban infrastructure, digital connectivity and the provision of services through the Bharat Net network. In the context of the pandemic, a broad discussion on health care and nutrition and the integrated approach is expected. specific to medicine, the source said.
The Governing Council presents a platform to discuss cross-sector, interdepartmental and federal issues. It is made up of the PM, the principal ministers of the states and the UT, with Legislatures and Vice Governors of other TUs. The sixth meeting will witness the entry of Ladakh for the first time, in addition to the participation of Jammu and Kashmir as UT. This time, other admin-led TUs have also been invited to join.
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