Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini attended the 11th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi on Thursday, June 11, 2026, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting brought together chief ministers and central government representatives to align state and national development priorities under the Viksit Bharat (Developed India) framework.

Context

Saini shared his participation on social media, stating that 'for the fulfilment of the Viksit Bharat goal, it is absolutely essential for the Centre and states to work together as partners in development.' He added that 'under Modi ji's leadership, our country and every state is rapidly moving towards this great goal.'

The 11th Governing Council meeting is the latest in a series of periodic high-level conclaves that bring together the Prime Minister, state chief ministers, and Union ministers to set shared development priorities across sectors including agriculture, infrastructure, and welfare delivery.

Policy Backdrop

NITI Aayog was established in January 2015, replacing the erstwhile Planning Commission, with a mandate to institutionalise cooperative federalism between the Centre and states. Unlike its predecessor, the body positions states as active partners rather than recipients of centrally dictated plans.

The Viksit Bharat @2047 vision — articulated between 2022 and 2023 — serves as the overarching national development framework, targeting a fully developed India by the centenary of independence. Governing Council meetings have since been used to cascade this vision into state-level action plans, with discussions typically covering centrally sponsored schemes, resource-sharing arrangements, and sector-specific reform roadmaps.

Stakeholders and Impact

Haryana, a north Indian state governed by the BJP, is a significant participant in NITI Aayog forums given its stakes in agriculture policy, industrial development in the Delhi-NCR corridor, and infrastructure investment. Saini took charge as Chief Minister in March 2024, succeeding Manohar Lal Khattar, and has since aligned the state's administrative priorities with the Centre's development agenda.

For state governments broadly, Governing Council meetings offer a platform to flag resource gaps, negotiate the terms of centrally sponsored schemes, and shape national policy with local ground realities. The outcomes of such meetings can influence fund flows and policy directives affecting crores of citizens across multiple states.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to any follow-up directions issued to states based on deliberations at the 11th Governing Council meeting, particularly regarding revised guidelines on centrally sponsored schemes and inter-governmental resource sharing. Haryana's implementation of decisions taken at the meeting will be closely watched, given the state's role as a key economic and agricultural hub in northern India.

The meeting reinforces the Modi government's consistent positioning of cooperative federalism as the primary vehicle for achieving long-term national development targets — a framework that will face its real test in how swiftly states translate council-level commitments into on-ground outcomes.