NEW DELHI: The fourth Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog on Sunday will solicit states’ cooperation in realising the aim to double farmers’ income by 2022. The meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also seek support of the state governments to roll out the ambitious Ayushman Bharat scheme seeking to extend health insurance to almost 50 crore people.
“The agenda of the council meeting also includes further expansion of Mission Indradhanush for immunisation of children and mothers. Besides, there will also be discussions on the roadmap to commemorate the 150 birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019,” said a senior official of the NITI Aayog.
The last Governing Council meeting had failed to adopt the Three Years Action Plan prepared by the NITI Aayog following objections by a few chief ministers. However, the Sunday meeting will not be revisiting the draft action plan circulated to the chief minister on the previous occasion, added the official.
“The focus of the meeting will be to exhort the states to adopt the agricultural marketing reforms and adoption of the e-NAM (National Agricultural Market). Since time is running out to realise the task set out by the Prime Minister to double farmers’ income, it has become incumbent upon the state governments to truly adopt the reforms put forth by the NITI Aayog in the last three years,” said the official.
Incidentally, a host of agricultural marketing reforms advocated by the NITI Aayog in the recent past have met with cold responses from a number of states. The Governing Council meeting will be held at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Sunday. “The day-long meeting will be attended by Union ministers, chief ministers, lieutenant governors and senior officials. The meeting will also deliberate on the issue of nutrition, besides aspirational districts,” added the official.