Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked countries to balance the opportunities of artificial intelligence with safeguards against emerging social challenges, such as cyber fraud and drug abuse, while warning of risks posed by El Niño conditions and calling for stronger water conservation measures.
While chairing the 11th meeting of the Board of Governors of Niti Aayog, Modi noted that while many major economies face uncertainty and economic challenges, India’s growth story continues to inspire the world.
All 28 states and five union territories attended the day-long meeting, the first of its kind. Checks
Modi said on the 10th of this month: “We spoke on a wide range of issues, including emphasizing self-reliance, adopting global best practices and strengthening the reform journey. We affirmed our commitment to cooperative federalism, in line with our government’s belief that states play a vital role in promoting national progress.”
At the meeting, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay renewed the state’s opposition to the National Eligibility Test for admission, saying the entrance exam had disenfranchised students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds, and urged the Center to allow admission to the state’s allotted medical seats on the basis of Class XII scores only.
Madhya Pradesh state president Mohan Yadav said his government succeeded in eliminating Maoism from the state before the deadline set by the Centre. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the meeting held detailed deliberations on promoting the goal of a developed India by focusing on inclusive human development, good governance and public participation. CM N Chandrababu Naidu presented the Swarna Andhra Vision 2047 for the state, which outlines a roadmap to transform the state into a prosperous, inclusive and globally competitive economy by 2047. CM Revanth Reddy of Telangana reiterated his earlier proposal to form an ‘M-6 Task Force’ to develop six major engines of economic growth – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. He sought a dedicated fund for $6 lakh crore, with $Rs 1 lakh crore has been allocated to each of the six cities to enhance urban infrastructure.
At the meeting, Modi stressed the need to strengthen the nation’s resolve for self-reliance, and stressed the importance of adopting and implementing global best practices, especially in the renewable energy sector. Referring to the trade agreements that India recently concluded with several countries, Modi asked the countries to create opportunities for youth and small and medium enterprises and equip stakeholders to effectively leverage the benefits from these agreements.
He also advised countries to attract investments from partner countries. Emphasizing the importance of cooperative federalism, Modi said that the Center and states should work together to achieve the goal of Vixit Bharat (developed India), according to an official statement. The Prime Minister stressed that the vision of Vixit Bharat should become the collective decision of every state, district, block and village.
Highlighting the importance of good governance, transparency and infrastructure to attract investment, Modi asked countries to focus on branding, ease of doing business, and emerging opportunities in sectors such as data centers and artificial intelligence.
Modi said the focus should also be on next generation manufacturing. He also said that artificial intelligence should be seen as an opportunity, and called for greater efforts to equip people with the skills required for the future economy.
Modi described India’s 700 million young people as their asset, and urged countries to convert this “demographic dividend into a development dividend.”
The state should be allowed to fill all government quota seats in MBBS, BDS and AYUSH courses without the need for NEET, Vijay said. “The state opposes the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses, as its introduction has affected students from rural and socio-economically deprived families,” Vijay said in his speech. “The Tamil Nadu government may be allowed to fill all the seats under the state quota in MBBS, BDS and AYUSH courses based on Class XII marks only.”
Tamil Nadu has been demanding exemption from NEET since it was first conducted in 2013.
NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Ashok Lahiri said the discussions focused on “holistic human development” as part of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, with an emphasis on education, healthcare, employment and well-being across different stages of life. The meeting lasted for more than eight hours. In response to a question whether the ongoing conflict in West Asia and its potential impact on energy prices had figured in the discussions,
Rajeev Gauba, CEO of NITI Aayog, said the issue was “on the mind” of the participants. But he said no country had requested assistance specifically because of the situation. Instead, the conversation remained centered on human development, with some references to energy security and the need to accelerate the Gobardhan scheme as part of efforts to strengthen domestic energy resilience. “Just because there is a West Asia crisis, we cannot be paralyzed. We have to continue doing our work,” Lahiri said.
Juba said requests for central funds did not dominate the meeting, although some countries raised specific demands. On West Bengal, Lahiri said CM Suvendu Adhikari said the state continues to face challenges arising from decades of rule by previous governments, including 34 years of Left Front rule and 15 years under the Trinamool Congress.
NITI Aayog member KV Raju said 20 states have already prepared their Viksit Bharat schemes, while 10 others are working on them. He added that three newly elected prime ministers – without naming them – actively participated in the discussions, raising issues such as elderly care, vocational education and support for peripheral ring roads through public-private partnerships.
