Kataria showcases Chandigarh’s governance gains at NITI meet

Chandigarh: Chandigarh highlighted gains in education, healthcare, sports and sustainability at the 11th NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, with administrator Gulab Chand Kataria presenting the UT as a model of inclusive development.

Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and themed “Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat@2047”, the meeting focused on accelerating human development and cooperative federalism.

Kataria said Chandigarh has achieved 99.93% literacy and secured the highest Prachesta-1 grade in the Performance Grading Index 2.0 for a second year. Class X results improved to 88.25%, with 475 students scoring above 90% in 2025–26. Initiatives such as Project Udaan and Shikhar-26, along with AI and data science courses in govt schools, were also highlighted. The UT’s higher education GER stands at 64.8%.

In healthcare, he pointed to Project SARATHI, under which NSS volunteers assist patients—a model now replicated in over 1,400 hospitals nationwide.

On sports, Chandigarh’s medal tally nearly doubled from 297 to 488 in two years, with the city set to host the 2027 Asian Relay Championships.

Kataria also flagged sustainability measures, including full solarisation of govt buildings, a top-10 finish in Swachh Vayu Survey 2025, and the National Energy Conservation Award. He noted Chandigarh’s push for clean mobility and its status as India’s first slum-free UT.

Reaffirming focus on human capital, he said Chandigarh will continue contributing to the goal of a developed India by 2047.