Niti Aayog facilitates Centre, Himachal meet on pending issues

Niti Aayog today said it has facilitated a meeting between the Centre and Himachal Pradesh government on pending issues related to health, education and environment, among others.
As part of its mandate to promote cooperative federalism, Niti Aayog organised a meeting of a high-level delegation from Himachal Pradesh and representatives from various ministries at the Center, it said in a statement.
It was held under the chairmanship of Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya. Himachal Pradesh delegation was led by Chief Secretary V C Pharka, it added.
The meeting came in the backdrop of a request made by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in June this year. He had written to the government think-tank with a list of issues pending with central ministries.

The discussions broadly covered issues related to health, education, environment and forest, rural development, food and public distribution, water resources, culture, tourism, industry and textiles, the Aayog said.
"A number of issues were resolved at the meeting. On some of the issues, the Central ministries requested the state to resubmit their proposals with requisite information and modifications," it added.

A few issues that were raised at the meeting pertained to policy decisions at the national level, the premier policy making body said.
On upgradation of the Indira Gandhi Medical College, the Health Ministry suggested that the state government change the project site, which was agreed upon by Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh is the fourth state after Bihar, Telangana and Rajasthan whose pending issues with the Central ministries/departments have been taken up by Niti Aayog.
States have been finding this platform very useful since their issues, which have been pending with the ministries of the Central government/departments for years, either get resolved or alternative feasible solutions are explored.