Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik skips NITI Aayog meeting due to prior commitment

Though his party BJD has decided to attend the controversial new Parliament building inauguration on Sunday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik skipped the Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog held in New Delhi on Saturday.

Sources in the CMO said that Patnaik could not attend the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to prior commitment, though no official statement was issued on the subject.

Patnaik remained busy through the day in several meetings including review of the four-year performance of different departments including Mission Shakti.

The Niti Aayog Governining Council meeting was meant for only chief ministers. Issues such as health, skill development, women empowerment and infrastructure development, with the aim of making India a developed nation by 2047, was deliberated in the Niti Aayog meeting.

The BJD however has announced it will attend the inauguration function of the new Parliament building even as 19 other non-BJP parties decided to boycott the function.