Suvendu to attend NITI meet, seeks Ayushman pact by June 8

Kolkata: Suvendu Adhikari will attend NITI Aayog's governing council meeting on June 11 as Bengal's first BJP chief minister, marking a departure since the last few years when his predecessor Mamata Banerjee shunned these meetings.Adhikari, a source said, has directed the state health department to finalise the agreement on the implementation of Ayushman Bharat by June 8 to roll out the Centre's flagship healthcare scheme in the state from July.The CM held an administrative meeting with departmental secretaries at Nabanna on Monday and asked them to submit their proposals by June 5 so that he can include them in his NITI speech. As part of the extended administrative meet, Adhikari invited secretaries to join him over dinner at Soujanya in Alipore on Monday.PM Narendra Modi will chair the NITI meet and this time the focus is likely to be on human resources, with priority given to education, vocational training and job opportunities to bridge the gap between education and job skills to meet industry needs. It will also promote entrepreneurs for Atmanirbhar Bharat, an official said, adding that non-conventional energy was also gaining priority.Observers believe Adhikari's presence at the NITI meet could signal a shift from the prolonged Centre-state confrontations witnessed during Trinamool Congress's term towards a more coordinated approach.The CM also asked secretaries to chart out their departmental budgets, as the budget session will begin on June 18 and the state budget will be tabled on June 22. The CM has asked departmental heads to prepare the budgets with a focus on BJP's Sankalp Patra.Adhikari instructed officials to complete all necessary preparations, including finalising operational guidelines, administrative procedures and implementation frameworks related to Ayushman Bharat within the stipulated deadline. Sources said the Bengal govt is working on multiple aspects of the healthcare scheme, including coordination with the Centre, beneficiary coverage, hospital empanelment and technical integration.Adhikari also asked officials to launch the VB-G Ram G scheme, which replaces MGNREGA, in June. This scheme will ensure 125 days of work for job-card holders while creating rural infrastructure and rural employment. However, work will not immediately start in Murshidabad and South 24-Parganas due to prior complaints of corruption.The CM also sought a transparent recruitment policy keeping in mind manpower needs.