NITI Aayog (National Institution Transforming India) | Indian Constitution Download PDF
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On 1st January, 2015 the cabinet of Narendra Modi Govememnt passed . a resolution to replace Planning Commission by NITI Aayog (National Institution
Transforming India). which will work as a policy think-tank of Government of India and aims to involve the states in economic policy-making in India. It will be providing strategic and technical advice to the Central and the State Governments, ie., by adopting bottom-up approach rather than traditional top-down approach as in planning commission.
The NITI Aayog will comprise of the following:
(a) Prime Minister of India as the Chairperson;
(b) Governing Council comprising the Chief Ministers of all the States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories;
(c) Regional Councils will be formed to address specific issues and contingencies impacting more than one state or a region. These will be formed for a specified tenure. The Regional Councils will be convened by the Prime Minister and will comprise of the Chief Ministers of States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories in the region. These will be chaired by the Chairperson of the Nil I Aayog or his nominee;
(d) Experts, specialists and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge as special invitees nominated by the Prime Minister;
(e) The full-time organizational framework will comprise of, in addition to the Prime Minister as the Chairperson:
(i) Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by the Prime Minister,
(ii) Members: Full-time,
(iii) Part-time members: Maximum of 2 from leading
universities, research organisations and other relevant institutions in an ex-officio capacity. Part time members will be on a rotational basis,
(iv) Ex Officio members: Maximum of 4 members of the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the PrimeMinister,
(v) Chief Executive Officer: To be appointed by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank of Secretary to the Government of India,
(vi) Secretariat as deemed necessary.
Aims and Object of NITI Aayog:
>NITI Aayog will seek to provide a critical directional and strategic input into the development process.
> The centre-to-state one-way flow of policy, that was the hallmark of the Planning Commission era, is now sought to be replaced by a genuine and continuing partnership of states.
> NITI Aayog will emerge as a “think-tank” that will provide Governments at the central and state levels with relevant strategic and technical advice across the spectrum of key elements of policy. –
> The NTTI Aayog will also seek to put an end to slow and tardy implementation of policy, by fostering better Inter-Ministry coordination and better Centre-State coordination. It will help evolve a shared vision of national development priorities, and foster cooperative federalism, recognizing that strong states make a strong nation.
> The NITI Aayog will develop mechanisms to formulate credible | plans to the village level and aggregate these progressively at higher levels of government. It will ensure special attention to the , sections of society that may be at risk of not benefitting adequately from economic progress.
> The NTTI Aayog will create a knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurial support system through a collaborative community of national and international experts, practitioners and partners. It will offer a platform for resolution of intersectoral and inter-departmental issues in order to accelerate the
implementation of the development agenda.
> In addition, the NITI Aayog will monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes, and focus on technology upgradation and capacity building.
Through the above, the NITI Aayog will aim to accomplish the following objectives and opportunities:
> An administration paradigm in which the Government is an “enabler” rather than a “provider of first and last resort.”
> Progress from “food security” to focus on a mix of agricultural production, as well as actual returns that farmers get from their produce.
> Ensure that India is an active player in the debates and deliberations on the global commons.
> Ensure that the economically vibrant middle-class remains engaged, and its potential is fully realized.
> Leverage India’s pool of entrepreneurial, scientific and intellectual human capital.
> Incorporate the significant geo-economic and geo-political strength of the Non-Resident Indian Community.
> Use urbanization as an opportunity to create a wholesome and secure habitat through the use of modem technology.
> Use technology to reduce opacity and potential for misadventures in governance.
The NITI Aayog aims to enable India to better face complex challenges, through the following:
> Leveraging of India’s demographic dividend, and realization of the potential of youth, men and women, through education, skill development, elimination of gender bias, and employment.
> Elimination of poverty, and the chance for every Indian to live a life of dignity and self-respect.
> Reddressal of inequalities based on gender bias, caste and economic disparities.
> Integrate villages institutionally into the development process.
> Policy support to more than 50 million small businesses, which are a major source of employment creation safeguarding of our environmental and ecological assets.
It is expected that through its commitment to a cooperative federalism, promotion of citizen engagement, egalitarian access to opportunity, participative and adaptive governance and increasing use of technology, the NITI Aayog will seek to provide a critical directional and strategic input into the development process.
Criticism: The government’s move to replace the Planning Commission with a new institution called ‘NITI Aayog’ was criticised by opposition parties of India. The Congress sought to know whether the reform introduced by the BJP-led government was premised on any meaningful programme or if the move was simply bom out of political opposition to the party that ran the Planning Commission for over 60 years.
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