<p>NITI Aayog's eighth Governing Council meeting, which will deliberate on several issues including, health, skill development, women empowerment and infrastructure development, with an aim to make India a developed nation by 2047, began here on Saturday.</p>.<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing the meeting.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/bengal-to-skip-niti-aayog-meet-rift-with-centre-to-widen-1222260.html" target="_blank">Bengal to skip Niti Aayog meet, rift with Centre to widen</a></strong></p>.<p>The Council, the apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories and several Union ministers. The prime minister is the Chairman of NITI Aayog.</p>.<p>Union ministers Amit Shah, Niramala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh are attending the meeting, among others.</p>.<p>West Bengal, Punjab and Delhi chief ministers are boycotting the meeting.</p>.<p>Generally, the full council meeting happens every year and last year, it was held under the chairmanship of Modi on August 7.</p>.<p>The council meeting was not convened in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.</p>.<p>The first meeting of the council took place on February 8, 2015.</p>
<p>NITI Aayog's eighth Governing Council meeting, which will deliberate on several issues including, health, skill development, women empowerment and infrastructure development, with an aim to make India a developed nation by 2047, began here on Saturday.</p>.<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing the meeting.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/bengal-to-skip-niti-aayog-meet-rift-with-centre-to-widen-1222260.html" target="_blank">Bengal to skip Niti Aayog meet, rift with Centre to widen</a></strong></p>.<p>The Council, the apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories and several Union ministers. The prime minister is the Chairman of NITI Aayog.</p>.<p>Union ministers Amit Shah, Niramala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh are attending the meeting, among others.</p>.<p>West Bengal, Punjab and Delhi chief ministers are boycotting the meeting.</p>.<p>Generally, the full council meeting happens every year and last year, it was held under the chairmanship of Modi on August 7.</p>.<p>The council meeting was not convened in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.</p>.<p>The first meeting of the council took place on February 8, 2015.</p>