We will discuss the issues between the Center and the states in tomorrow’s NITI Aayog meeting, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on July 26. She was speaking at the ‘Budget Open House’ organised by The RP Sanjiv Goenka Group in partnership with CNBC-TV18. The FM asserted that there is a lot of talking with the states adding “Let’s see how quickly we can do this.”

Her statement comes at a time when several states have announced their decision to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled on Saturday, July 27. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan stated on Thursday, July 24, that his government will boycott the meeting to protest against the “discriminatory” Budget. Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers have also announced their decision to not attend the meeting.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will chair the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, New Delhi. This year’s theme is ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’, with a focus on making India a developed nation.

The Governing Council Meeting will discuss the Approach Paper for the Vision Document on Viksit Bharat @2047. The meeting will also aim at boosting participative governance and collaboration between the Centre and the States.

In the Union Budget presented on July 23, Sitharaman announced ₹60,000 crore for Andhra Pradesh and pledged support to get ₹15,000 crore in assistance from multilateral agencies for the southern state.

Also Read: Budget Open House: Taxes have not been increased because I want more money, says FM Sitharaman