Patna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar flew to New Delhi on Saturday afternoon on a two-day visit during which he will attend the fourth governing council meeting of Niti Aayog scheduled on Sunday at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

He is also expected to pay a visit to ailing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is currently recuperating at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences there.

Nitish is expected to raise several state-related issues at the six-hour-long governing council meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by almost all the chief ministers, chief secretaries and senior officials of Niti Aayog.

"As a chief minister, he (Nitish) will give primacy to issues that concern the state and raise them. Detailed papers on various matters that was circulated by Niti Aayog have been prepared by the planning and development department for his perusal," a senior government official said.

The official also pointed out that Nitish doesn't usually see written text while addressing gatherings and at times, improvises, adapts and brings several issues in the speech.

The Niti Aayog meeting will seek the support of states in the central government's initiatives to double farmers' income by 2022 and to cover 50 crore people under Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, other medical schemes, as well as preparations to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi next year.

"Apart from touching all the agenda of Niti Aayog, Nitish is expected to raise issues pertaining to Bihar's backwardness, government's initiative and the need for special category status or assistance to tide over the problems. He is also expected to raise irrigation, flood and siltation related issues, including the low compensation paid by the Centre as compensation for 2017 floods," a senior state government official said.

"As far as doubling farmers' income is concerned, Nitish may point out that the state is already implementing its third agriculture roadmap, which was launched by the President and envisages a holistic development of the farm sector as a whole," he added.

Nitish reached Delhi and met Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio at Bihar Bhavan in the evening.

JDU secretary general K.C. Tyagi, general secretary Pavan Kumar Varma, Sanjay Jha, Nagaland JDU state unit president NSN Lotha and several others were present.