On Saturday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik missed the Niti Aayog Governing Council meeting in New Delhi, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. No official reason has been provided by the Chief Minister’s office for his absence. However, Patnaik is expected to participate in the inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday.
The Niti Aayog Governing Council meeting has seen nine states, led by non-BJP governments, absenting themselves from the session with each citing different reasons.
Niti Aayog is an Indian government policy think-tank established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015. It provides strategic and technical advice to the Government of India on a range of economic and policy issues. It works to promote equitable development, enhance cooperative federalism through structured support initiatives, and foster long-term strategic thinking in the government. It also serves as a bridge between the central and state governments.
Naveen Patnaik is an Indian politician who has been the Chief Minister of Odisha since 2000. He is the president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), a regional political party, which has dominated the politics of Odisha since 2000. His efforts towards the development of Odisha has made him popular among the people of the state. He has also served as Union Minister of Mines in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He is known for his fiscally prudent and pro-growth policies.