Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called for a new set up to help the country in taking a big leap forward for further strengthening cooperative federalism. In his opening remarks at a meeting of all Chief Ministers held to discuss restructuring of the Planning Commission, he 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. Recalling his own experience as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr Modi said, he had felt the need for a better platform to articulate the view of the states. Listing out the national priorities on the growth path, the Prime Minister further said, the time has come to develop a new mechanism to deliver growth and development.

AIR correspondent reports, the meeting held to discuss various aspects relating to the restructuring of the Planning Commission was attended by the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Kerala. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is not attending the meeting and state Finance Minister Amit Mitra is representing West Bengal.

The Prime Minister asked the states to play a key role in the new body that will replace the Planning Commission. He also felt that there should be an effective mechanism to address the inter-states disputes. Mr Modi added that the new mechanism should have provisions to utilize the strengths of country's economy and empower states while bringing all economic activity on board.