Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked states to reduce the compliance burden for entrepreneurs so that the ease of doing business improves, and India is able to take advantage of the opportunities before it in the world market.

Addressing the sixth Governing Council Meeting of Niti Aayog, he said reforms by the States could also provide farmers the required economic resources, better infrastructure and modern technology to perform better in foreign markets.

The Prime Minister said the Union Budget had evoked a positive response and the mood of the nation was that it wanted to move ahead fast.

The private sector too had shown inclination to join the development process, and it should be given a place in the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (Self-reliant India campaign), he said.

The Governing Council meet was attended by all chief ministers and Lt. Governors from across the country, except for the chief ministers of West Bengal, Punjab, Gujarat and Telangana.

Modi said the Atmanirbhar campaign envisaged an India which not only met its own requirements but produced goods which satisfied world demand and stood the test of international quality standards.

Several states responded to the Prime Minister’s call for increasing production of edible oils, and said they would make efforts to reduce India’s dependence on their imports. Modi said India was an agricultural country and yet imported edible oils worth Rs 65,000 to Rs 70,000 crores every year. The Prime Minister said the country had tried to improve pulses production and had succeeded to a large extent. He said the states should do agro-climatic regional planning, and guide the farmers accordingly.

He said the agricultural exports had increased during the Covid-19 period but the country’s potential was much larger. There was need to encourage investment in storage and processing. India was exporting raw fish which was re-exported in a processed form. Why could not India do this, he said. There was need for reforms which could help the Indian farmer perform better, he said.

Modi said the Centre had brought in reforms and reduced the compliance burden by abolishing 1500 laws. The states too could do this. They should form committees to study the issue. When technology had advanced, why should there be harassment of citizens, he asked and said the Centre had asked Cabinet Secretary to study the issue.

The Prime Minister said the basis of the country’s progress was Cooperative Federalism and the country succeeded when the State and the Central government worked together during the Corona pandemic. In his concluding remarks the Prime Minister said like the Coronavirus, the country could achieve success against tuberculosis also. Modi called for balanced regional development.