PM Modi chairs NITI Aayog meet with chief ministers|

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing the seventh meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog with chief ministers and top officials; this is the first in-person meeting since 2019.

For the last two years, the key NITI Aayog conference could not be held in person amid the pandemic.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Chouhan, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann among others are in attendance. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot is also present.

However, Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday, claiming discrimination by centre, said he would not attend the conference, In a statement, the NITI Aayog said it was "unfortunate".

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is also not present at the meeting.

Among the agendas of the conference are "crop diversification and achieving self-sufficiency in oilseeds and pulses and agri-communities; implementation of the National Education Policy–school education; implementation of the National Education Policy–higher education; and urban governance," according to a government statement.

Sunday's meeting comes months after the National Conference of chief secretaries was held in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala in June in a culmination of the "six-month long rigorous exercise by the Centre and States".

The conference was chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by the chief secretaries of all states and union territories, along with senior officials of the central and state governments.

With India hosting the G20 Presidency and summit next year, Sunday's meeting assumes greater significance, the NITI Aayog said.