Sh. Gulab Chand Kataria, Administrator, Union Territory Chandigarh, alongwith H Rajesh Prasad, Chief Secretary UT Chandigarh participated in the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, New Delhi, today.
The theme of this year’s meeting was “Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat@2047.” The meeting was attended by Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors and Administrators representing 28 States and 5 Union Territories. Notably, this was the first Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog in which Chief Ministers of all 28 States participated.
The meeting focused on strategies for inclusive human development and strengthening cooperative federalism through greater collaboration between the Centre and States to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Addressing the meeting, Shri Kataria showcased Chandigarh’s achievements in education, healthcare, sports, sustainability and urban governance, highlighting the city’s emergence as a model of inclusive development and good governance.
The Administrator informed that Chandigarh has been declared a fully literate Union Territory with a literacy rate of 99.93 percent and has secured the highest Prachesta-1 Grade in the Ministry of Education’s Performance Grading Index 2.0 for the second consecutive year.
He noted that the Class X pass percentage has improved to 88.25 percent, while 475 students scored above 90 percent in the academic session 2025-26. Shri Kataria highlighted initiatives such as Project Udaan and Shikhar-26 for free JEE and NEET coaching, expansion of skill education in government schools, and implementation of future-ready courses in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cyber Security and Data Analytics.
He also noted that Chandigarh’s Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education stands at 64.8 percent, well above the national average. In healthcare, he highlighted Project SARATHI, under which over 2,671 NSS volunteers are assisting patients in major government hospitals.
The model has now been adopted by more than 1,400 hospitals across the country. The Administrator further informed that Chandigarh athletes have increased their medal tally from 297 to 488 in the last two years and that the city will host the 2027 Asian Relay Championships.
Highlighting sustainability initiatives, Shri Kataria said Chandigarh ranked 8th in the Swachh Vayu Survey 2025, all government buildings have been solarised, and the city received the National Energy Conservation Award 2025. He also noted that Chandigarh became the country’s first Union Territory with 100 percent privatisation of electricity distribution and has strengthened clean mobility through the induction of electric buses.
The Administrator also highlighted Chandigarh’s achievement of becoming India’s first officially Slum-Free city through extensive rehabilitation measures and emphasized the Administration’s continued focus on citizen-centric governance and progressive urban development initiatives.
Shri Gulab Chand Kataria reaffirmed Chandigarh Administration’s commitment towards inclusive development, human capital enhancement and the national vision of Viksit Bharat@2047