In keeping with the spirit of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwaas, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will chair the fifth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog. The meeting will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday, 15^th June 2019.

Union Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, will attend the meeting as ex-officio members. 

 Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and Ministry of Planning, will be attending the event as special invitees to the Governing Council.

Special invitees to the fifth meeting include the National Security Adviser, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Minister of Jal Shakti and the Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.

Vice Chairman, Members, CEO and senior officers of NITI Aayog will take part in the proceeding at the Governing Council meeting .

Agenda:

High on the agenda before the Fifth Council Meeting are the following items:

1. Rain-Water Harvesting
2. Drought Situation and Relief Measures
3. Aspirational Districts Programme – Achievements And Challenges
4. Transforming Agriculture: Need For Structural Reforms With Special Emphasis On:
   1. Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act
   2. Essential Commodities Act (ECA)    
5. Security Related Issues with Specific Focus On LWE Districts

Background:

The Governing Council reviews the action taken on the agenda items of the previous meeting and deliberates upon the future developmental priorities. So far, four meetings of the Governing Council have been held under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers/ Lt. Governors of the States/ UTs and other members of NITI Aayog.

About NITI Governing Council:

The Governing Council of NITI Aayog comprises of the Prime Minister of India, Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories with Legislatures and Lt. Governors of other Union Territories, and other special invitees. It is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the active involvement of States in shaping the development narrative.

NITI Governing Council Meetings & Outcomes:

The First Meeting was held on 8 February 2015, at which the Prime Minister laid down the key mandates of NITI Aayog such as fostering cooperative federalism and addressing national issues through active participation of the States.The Second Meeting of the Governing Council took place on 15 July 2015.Third Meeting was held on 23 April 2017, which laid down milestones in shaping the country’s development agenda through strategy and vision documents. The Fourth meeting of the Governing Council was held on 17 June 2018 and included reviewing measures taken for doubling farmers’ income and progress made under flagship schemes such as the Ayushman Bharat, POSHAN Abhiyaan and Mission Indradhanush.

The NITI Aayog has been mandated with fostering cooperative federalism through structured support initiatives and mechanisms with the States on a continuous basis, recognizing that strong States make a strong nation on the principles of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwaas. It seeks to design and assist the implementation of strategic, long term policy frameworks and programme initiatives, and also monitor their progress and efficacy.

The Governing Council, which embodies these objectives of cooperative federalism, presents a platform to discuss inter-sectoral, inter-departmental and federal issues in order to accelerate the implementation of the national development agenda, in the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat.

Cooperative federalism drives a national Governing Council meeting to set development priorities and review implementation. Prime Minister to chair the fifth NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting to review action on prior agenda items and set national development priorities with active State participation. Participants include ex officio Union Ministers, designated special invitees and senior NITI officers. Agenda highlights rain water harvesting, drought relief, Aspirational Districts Programme achievements and challenges, agricultural structural reforms emphasizing the APMC Act and ECA, and security issues focused on LWE districts. The release underscores NITI Aayog's mandate to foster cooperative federalism, design strategic policy frameworks, support implementation and monitor flagship programme progress.