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Niti Aayog meeting: PM calls for faster development, states back Op Sindoor
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on states to prepare cities for the future and build at least one tourist destination in each state that matches global standards. Speaking at the Niti Aayog meeting on Saturday (May 24), he urged chief ministers to accelerate development efforts to make India a 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) by 2047.
In a major tourism initiative, he announced the concept of "one state, one global destination." He said, "States should develop at least one tourist destination per state at par with global standards and by providing all facilities and infrastructure - One State: One Global Destination. It would also lead to the development of the neighbouring cities as tourist places."
All states support Operation Sindoor
The meeting marked the first gathering of PM Modi with chief ministers after the recent hostilities with Pakistan and Operation Sindoor. All chief ministers present at the meeting strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.
All participants voiced strong backing for Operation Sindoor. Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said there was unanimous agreement across states on this initiative, which has become a symbol of national unity. The leaders recommitted themselves to fighting terrorism together.
PM Modi stressed, "Operation Sindoor should not be treated as a one-off initiative and civil defence preparedness must be institutionalised by the states." He urged modernisation of civil defence measures, noting that recent drills had sharpened focus on this crucial area.
Some CMs skipped meet
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with leaders from Puducherry, Karnataka, and Kerala, did not attend. However, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu, Tamil Nadu's MK Stalin, Telangana's Revanth Reddy, Jammu & Kashmir's Omar Abdullah, and Himachal Pradesh's Sukhvinder Sukhu were present.
PM Modi calls for "Team India" approach
PM Modi appealed to the Centre and states to work as one united team to achieve India's development goals. He said, "We have to increase the speed of development. If the Centre and all the states come together and work together like Team India, no goal is impossible."
He added,"India is getting rapidly urbanised. We should work towards future-ready cities... We should have the aim of making each state viksit (developed), each city viksit, each nagar palika viksit and each village viksit. If we work on these lines, we will not have to wait till 2047 to become Viksit Bharat."*
Voices from states
Arunachal Pradesh: Chief Minister Pema Khandu highlighted Arunachal Pradesh's impressive growth over the last ten years. He affirmed the state's commitment to contributing to a developed India by 2047 through sustainable industry, empowering youth and women, building world-class infrastructure, leading innovation, and protecting the environment.
Tamil Nadu: CM MK Stalin criticised delays in central funding for Tamil Nadu, urging release of Rs 2,200 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) that was held back due to a missing agreement on the "PM Shri" scheme. He also pushed for increasing the state's share of central taxes to 50 per cent and called for a dedicated urban transformation mission to improve cities in Tamil Nadu.
Rajasthan: Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma expressed gratitude for PM Modi's valuable guidance during the meeting.
Uttarakhand: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the meeting tackled key development issues, reaffirming the state's commitment to achieving 'Viksit Rajya, Viksit Bharat 2047'.
Punjab: CM Bhagwant Mann accused the Centre of unfair treatment, calling it "step-motherly" and unwarranted. He raised urgent water issues, explaining that Punjab has no surplus water to share. Mann suggested building a Yamuna-Sutlej-Link (YSL) canal instead of the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal due to water shortages in local rivers. He also requested to be included in water allocation talks related to a 1954 agreement.
Himachal Pradesh: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stressed that hill states have unique requirements and should receive larger funds by relaxing scheme eligibility. He demanded the release of long-pending financial dues owed to Himachal Pradesh, stating that timely funds would help the state become self-sufficient. Sukhu also outlined plans to develop Himachal Pradesh as one of India's leading tourist destinations.
Sikkim: Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang requested a world-class highway connecting Sikkim to Siliguri in West Bengal to enhance strategic and economic mobility. He also called for climate-proofing National Highway 10, which suffers from flood and landslide damage. Additionally, Tamang proposed establishing an integrated check post at Chewa Bhanjyang on the Nepal border, along with a multimodal corridor to encourage cross-border trade. He affirmed, "Sikkim stands firmly aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 and looks forward to continued support from the Government of India."
Haryana: In a post on X, Chief Minister Nayab Saini said, "Under the guidance of Prime Minister, we all have to work together towards building a 'developed state, developed city, developed municipality and developed village' to fulfil the goal of #ViksitBharat. We are constantly formulating and implementing policies to bring about a change in the life of every family member."
Nagaland: Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio emphasised that the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 must reflect the aspirations of states like Nagaland, reaffirming his government's commitment to self-reliance and inclusive development. "Nagaland is fostering entrepreneurship through five startup incubators and Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDCs) across all districts, providing critical mentoring, infrastructure, and capacity-building support," Rio said.
Delhi: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday presented the roadmap of "Viksit Delhi" at the NITI Aayog's Governing Council meeting involving infrastructure upgrade through a 4-S formula -- Scope, Scale, Speed and Skill -- and make the capital the "most livable" city in the world by 2047.
Telangana: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy discussed various issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the meeting, pertaining to the state's metro rail phase, the regional ring road, regional ring railway, support for strengthening the state's position in India's semiconductor ecosystem, support of defence projects, for hosting DefExpo in Hyderabad and the need for fast-track approvals for defence JVs and offsets.
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