NITI Aayog Meeting: C'garh CM Seeks GST Compensation, Reimbursement Of Expense On Central Forces Fighting Naxals

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel raised five demands for his state including the request to continue the GST compensation grant to states for the next 5 years.

New Delhi: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday put forth five demands for the welfare of his state during NITI Aayog's Governing Council meeting as he raised the issue of GST compensation and demanded reimbursement of expenditure amounting to Rs 12,000 crores on central security forces deployed for Naxal eradication

According to tweets by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Bhupesh Baghel demanded that MGNREGA be implemented in rural areas located near cities and in cities with a population of less than 20,000 while he also raised the issue of GST compensation in the meeting.

"Chief Minister Shri @bhupeshbaghel raised the issue of GST compensation in the meeting and said that the GST tax system has caused revenue loss to the states. - He requested to continue the GST compensation grant for the next 5 years even after June 2022," a tweet by the CMO informed.

During the Governing Council meeting attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CM Bhagel urged for revision of the royalty rate on main minerals including coal, and also demanded a refund of deposits in the New Pension Scheme in the interest of employees.

In an important demand, he also sought reimbursement of expenditure of Rs 12,000 crores on central security forces deployed for the fight against Naxals, news agency ANI reported citing the CMO.

As per the CMO, Prime Minister Modi appreciated Chhattisgarh for its Godhan Nyay Yojana. He praised the state government for making vermicompost from cow dung.

Make Odisha A Special Focus State, Allocate Funds For Disaster Proofing: CM Naveen Patnaik 

Meanwhile, ANI, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik at the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting raised the issue of natural disasters that the state has been facing. "Odisha is impacted almost every year by natural disasters. I would sincerely request the central government to make Odisha a special focus state and allocate funds for disaster proofing," he said.

NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting

NITI Aayog's seventh Governing Council meeting was convened today to discuss various issues such as crop diversification, urban development, and implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) in Delhi on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the meeting, the first physical one to take place after July 2019.

The Council, the apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers. The Prime Minister is the Chairman of NITI Aayog.

Union ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, S Jaishankar, and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Assam, and several others attended the meeting.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao boycotted the meeting. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who recently contracted COVID-19, was also not present there.

Generally, a full council meeting happens every year. However, the meeting was not convened in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The first meeting of the council took place on February 8, 2015.