Flagging concerns over El Nino, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged states to strengthen water conservation and promote sustainable farming, while also calling for AI-driven skilling initiatives and greater efforts to leverage India’s trade agreements to create opportunities for youth, MSMEs and investments.

Addressing the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog, Modi emphasised that artificial intelligence (AI) should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a challenge and urged governments to equip people with future-ready skills to harness the benefits of emerging technologies.

Referring to India’s recently concluded trade agreements with several countries, Modi encouraged States to create opportunities for youth and MSMEs and to equip stakeholders to effectively leverage the benefits arising from these agreements and attract investments from partner countries, according to Niti Aayog officials.

Modi said states must promote natural and organic farming while strengthening efforts to conserve water in the face of climate-related challenges. He noted that the purchase of 11 lakh tonnes of organic manure by farmers during the current Kharif season reflected growing confidence in sustainable agriculture.

This was the first time when Chief Ministers of all 28 states participated in the Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog. This year’s theme was Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat@2047. Many states also raised their state-specific issues in the meeting. Newly elected West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari sought assistance from the Centre in view of the “poor legacy” he inherited from the previous government.

Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini sought a special incentive package from the Centre to accelerate the state’s transformation into a leading semiconductor, data centre, and electronics manufacturing hub. Tamil Nadu chief minister C. Joseph Vijay highlighted the state’s economic resilience amid global uncertainties. He said the state is working towards becoming a $1.5 trillion economy by 2035. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann sought special category status and a dedicated financial package for the revitalisation of border areas.

Officials said Modi urged all states to develop district GDP estimates, which Uttar Pradesh is already doing, for better policy and intervention.

The prime minister also highlighted the transformative potential of AI and called for investments in skilling and capacity-building to prepare the workforce for the future economy. Stressing the importance of good governance, transparency and infrastructure in attracting investments, he urged states to improve ease of doing business, strengthen their branding and explore emerging opportunities in sectors such as data Centres and AI.

Calling India’s nearly 70 crore youth its greatest asset, Modi urged states to convert the country’s demographic dividend into a development dividend through education, skilling and job creation.