The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, on August 7 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 Shri Rajnath Singh. 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.
