Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked the states to play a key role in the new body that will replace the Planning Commission. In his opening remarks at the meeting of all Chief Ministers held in New Delhi today to discuss restructuring of the Planning Commission, Mr Modi strongly pitched for an effective mechanism that will utilize the strengths of country's economy and empower states, while bringing all economic activity on board.

He also stressed the need for a platform to address the inter-states disputes. Calling for a new set up to help the country in taking a big leap forward, Mr Modi said it should further strengthen cooperative federalism. Advocating for a top to bottom change in the policy planning, he described -Team India as a combination three teams comprising the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers, Council of Ministers and Bureaucracy.

He also stressed the need for abandoning the incremental approach. Stating that a suitable body to replace the Planning Commission is required, the Prime Minister said, the role, relevance and restructuring of the Planning Commission had been questioned for over two decades.

He recalled that former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had also stressed the need for a re-look at the Planning Commission. Citing his own experience as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr Modi said, he had felt the need for a better platform to articulate the views of the states.

Most of the Chief Ministers except from West Bengal, Jharkhand, Mizoram and Jammu and Kashmir attended the Conference held to discuss effective replacement of the Planning Commission. These four states were represented by their Finance Ministers or senior officials.