Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the sixth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog on Saturday via video conferencing.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, the agenda of the meeting includes deliberations on agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, human resource development, service delivery at the grassroots, and health and nutrition.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee are likely to skip the meeting.
The Governing Council presents a platform to discuss inter-sectoral, inter-departmental, and federal issues. It comprises PM Modi, chief ministers of states and Union Territories (UTs), along with legislators and lieutenant governors of other UTs, the PMO said.
The sixth meeting will witness the entry of Ladakh for the first time, in addition to the participation of Jammu and Kashmir as a UT.
This time, other UTs headed by administrators have also been invited to join, read the release.
The meeting will also be attended by the ex-officio members of the Governing Council, Union ministers, Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar, members, and CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant, and other senior central government officials.
Quoting sources, PTI reported that Singh is indisposed and unlikely to attend Saturday's meeting. State Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal will attend the meeting in his place, they said.
"The Punjab chief minister is indisposed and is likely to skip the Niti Aayog meeting. The state finance minister will attend in his place," sources close to Singh said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also likely to give the meeting a miss.
"Mamata Banerjee may not attend Niti Aayog's February 20 meeting," a senior Trinamool leader was quoted as saying by PTI.
Banerjee had earlier skipped Niti Aayog's meetings and termed it as a "fruitless" exercise, alleging that the body has "no financial power" and cannot support state plans.
(With inputs from agencies)
