Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann raises issues of farmers at NITI Aayog meeting; seeks MSP guarantee

ANI

New Delhi, August 7

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who attended the NITI Aayog's governing council meeting here on Sunday, said that he raised the issues of farmers including Minimum Support Price (MSP) while adding that he was happy with the meeting.

Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting, Mann said, "Today was NITI Aayog's 7th meeting and it was the first for me after becoming the Chief Minister. It is unfortunate that no one has come from Punjab in the last three years. I went with detailed homework today and raised Punjab's issues. The biggest issue was of crop diversification." Chief Minister Mann said he was satisfied with the NITI Aayog's meeting as all issues were listened to.

"We are caught up in wheat and rice. Our water levels have decreased to a dangerous level. We demand MSP for farmers and demand a reformed committee as there are no stakeholders in it. I am happy with the meeting and all issues were listened to," he said.

At the NITI Aayog's meeting, Mann suggested holding the G20 meeting in Amritsar.

"All Chief Ministers raised their issues. Prime Minister sat with us from 10 am to around 4:15 pm and noted all points. We gave suggestions. India will be chairing G20 meet in December. I have put forth Amritsar's name before External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as the location where all meetings can be held. We will showcase our culture in the summit," added the Punjab Chief Minister.

India will hold the G20 presidency from December 1, 2022, and will convene the G20 leaders' Summit next year for the first time.

During its presidency of G20 or Group of Twenty, India will hold a large number of G20 events at different locations across the country, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The 7th governing council meeting of NITI Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was held at Rashtrapati Bhawan's Cultural Centre in the national capital on Sunday.

The meeting was attended by Chief Ministers of the states and union territories, legislators, Lt Governors of UTs, Ex-Officio Members, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, full-time members of NITI Aayog and Union Ministers as Special Invitees. However, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar skipped the meeting.

Notably, this meeting is the first in-person meeting of the Governing Council since July 2019.

The agenda of the NITI Aayog meeting includes crop diversification and achieving self-sufficiency in oilseeds and pulses; implementation of the National Education Policy-school education; implementation of the National Education Policy-higher education; and urban governance.  

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