West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend the 10th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog scheduled to take place in New Delhi on Saturday, according to sources in the state secretariat.
The reason for her absence remains undisclosed. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expected to focus on outlining the roadmap for transforming India into a developed nation by 2047.
This will also mark the first significant interaction between the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers of states and Union Territories following Operation Sindoor.
“There is no official word yet on who will represent West Bengal in the meeting in the Chief Minister’s absence,” the sources said. However, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant is likely to attend on behalf of the state.
Also read: CMs, Union Ministers assemble in Delhi for 10th NITI Aayog meet
The agenda is also expected to include discussions on the initiatives laid out in the 2025–26 Union Budget and the headwinds currently confronting the Indian economy.
The economy is grappling with challenges posed by retaliatory tariffs imposed by the United States under President Donald Trump’s administration. Despite these pressures, India is projected to grow at a rate between 6.2 and 6.7 per cent during the current financial year.
Analysts attribute this resilience to robust domestic consumption and infrastructure push, even as global economic activity slows. The looming threat of recession in the US and weakening growth in China have compounded the global downturn, with several economies already showing signs of contraction.
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