Inter-State Council to be meeting PM after 10 years

Inter-state relations, internal security and economic and social planning will figure in the meeting of the Inter-State Council convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a conference that will be taking place after a gap of 10 years. Chief Ministers of all the states along with 17 Union Ministers are expected to participate in the 11th meeting of the council.

The meeting will also discuss issues concerning school education, direct benefit transfer scheme, Aadhaar card, good governance and atrocities against members of SC and ST communities. The Prime Minister is the Chairman of the Council in which Chief Ministers of all states and Union Territories are members.

Six Union Ministers — Rajnath Singh (Home), Sushma Swaraj (External Affairs), Arun Jaitley (Finance), M Venkaiah Naidu (Urban Development), Nitin Gadkari (Road Transport) and Manohar Parrikar (Defence) — are nominated members of the council. Eleven other Union Ministers are permanent invitees to the Council.

The last meeting of the Inter-State Council was held in 2006. The UPA government had convened just two meetings in its 10-year tenure.