Gujarat CM advocates collective approach for development

New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Sunday lauded the Centre for including the heads of state governments in NITI Aayog's governing council and said collective efforts of state and central governments will help transforming the country into a strong and developed nation.

Instead of focusing exclusively on economic growth, NITI Aayog should also promote social justice, charting out an egalitarian approach for resource allocation and sustainable utilisation of resources which ultimately affect the pace of development of states as well as nation, she said at the first meeting of the Aayog here.

Speaking at the first meeting of Governing Council of NITI Aayog, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patel expressed her full commitment to development of national agenda that would enable the plan body to contribute to the furtherance of the national interest through inclusive and sustainable development.

Lauding the new approach of the Centre to include the heads of state governments in the governing council, Patel said it would prove useful in achieving the ultimate aims of the plan body to transform India into a strong, vibrant and developed nation.

Vouching for a shared vision on national development priorities through collected efforts of states, the Gujarat Chief Minister said, "the transformation of India -- mandate of NITI Aayog -- will be possible if and only if we, as a nation, are able to accurately gauge the aspirations and latent potential of our populace, and provide the direction, and the focus of our energies towards the achievement of a common national goal.

"In India, there are many development issues that need urgent attention. The immediate problems are different in different parts of our country and for different sections of our society.

"Our combined leadership of such a diverse nation such as India lies in our ability to craft a vision, build its broad acceptance and then direct all the national energies towards translating that vision into reality in the foreseeable future."

In her address, the Gujarat Chief minister said the integration of economic prosperity with human well being must be the foremost priority for India.

Welcoming the Smart Cities Mission scheme of the Centre, she apprised that Gujarat with 43 per cent urban population has focused on city planning and development as well as on providing urban level civic amenities in large villages under "Rurban approach".

"While Gujarat endorses the setting up of regional councils, at the same time, issue-based cooperation among states with similar opportunities and problems would also help foster national interest.

"Every state has a unique mix of resources and constraints. We must build a common platform for groups of states which have similar opportunities or challenges," Patel said.