NITI AAYOG.

INTRODUCTION:

 The 65 years old Planning Commission has been dissolved and a new
institution has been constituted by the Government known as NITI Aayog-
National Institute for Transforming India was set up on 1 st January 2015.

 This will serve as a government Think-Tank and is meant to reflect changes

required in India’s governance structure. It will be a knowledge hub of internal
as well as external resources, a repository of good governance best practices,
offering domain knowledge as well as strategic expertise to all levels of the
government.
 The newly constituted institution will provide a more active role for the state
governments in achieving national objectives; operationalizing the concept of
Cooperative Federalism.

 A collaborative platform facilitating Implementation; by monitoring progress,

plugging gaps and bringing together the various ministries at the Centre and in
states , in the joint pursuit of development.
 STRUCTURE OF NITI:

The Aayog will be a lean organization, modelled as a network of expertise , focusing on

functionality, flexibility and domain knowledge, with the following ‘structure’ and
‘mechanism’:
i. Chairman: The Prime Minister of India (de-facto).
ii. Governing Council: will comprise the Chief Ministers of all states and Lt.
Governors of Union Territories.
iii. Regional Councils: will be formed to address specific issues and contingencies
impacting more than one state or region. Strategy and planning in the Aayog will
be anchored from the state-level ; with regional councils convened by the Prime
Minister for identified priority domains, put under joint leadership of related sub-
groups
of states ( grouped around commonalities which would be geographic, economic, social or
otherwise) and central ministries. The regional councils will have the following features:
a) Will have specified tenures with the mandate to evolve strategy and oversee
implementation.
b) Will be jointly headed by one of the group Chief Ministers ( on a rotational basis or
otherwise) and a corresponding Central Minister.
c) Will include sectoral central ministers and secretaries concerned, as well as state
ministers and secretaries.
d) Will be linked with corresponding domain experts and academic institutions.
e) Will have a dedicated support cell in the Aayog’s secretariat
iv) Special Invitees: It will have experts, specialists and practitioners with
relevant domain knowledge as special invitees nominated by the Prime Minister.
v) Full-Time Organisational Framework: In addition to PM as Chairman it will
comprise:
a) Vice- Chairperson- to be appointed by the PM.
b) Members: all as full-time.
c) Part-Time Members: Maximum of 2 form leading universities, research
organisations and other relevant institutions in an ex-officio capacity. Part-
time members will be on a rotational basis.
• d) Ex-officio Members: maximum of 4 members of the Union Council of
Ministers to be nominated by the PM.

• e) Chief Executive Officer: to be appointed by the PM for a fixed tenure, in the

rank of Secretary to the Government of India.

• f) Secretariat : as deemed necessary.

 SPECIALISED WINGS IN NITI
AAYOG:

• The Aayog will house a number of specialized ‘Wings’, as per the government
document:
i. Research Wing: It will develop in-house sectoral expertise as a dedicated
think-tank of top- notch domain experts, specialists and scholars.
ii. Consultancy Wing: It will provide a market- place of whetted panels of
expertise and funding, for central and state governments to tap into;
matching their requirements with solution providers, public and private,
national and international. By playing match maker instead of providing the
entire service itself, NITI Aayog will be able to focus its resources on
priority matters, providing guidance and an overall quality check to the rest.
• iii)Team India Wing: It will comprise representatives from every state and
ministry and will serve as a permanent platform for national collaboration .
Each representative in this Wing will:

• a)Ensure every state/ministry has a continuous voice and stake in the Aayog.

• b)Establish direct communication channel between the state/ministry and the

Aayog for all development related matters as the dedicated liaison interface.
• A national “Hub- Spoke” institutional model will be developed, with each
state encouraged to build dedicated mirror institutions, serving as the inter-
face of inter-action. These institutions, in turn, will nuture their own networks
of expertise at the state and ministry level. NITI Aayog will function in close
cooperation and coordination with the ministries of the Central government and
state governments. While it will make recommendations to the Central and
State governments, the responsibility for taking and implementing decisions
will rest with them.
 OBJECTIVES:

• The NITI Aayog will work towards the following objectives:

a) To evolve a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with
the active involvement of States in the light of national objectives. The vision of NITI
Aayog will then provide a framework ‘national agenda’ for the Prime Minister and the
Chief Ministers to provide impetus to.
b) To foster cooperative federalism through structured support initiatives and mechanisms
with the States on a continuous basis , recognizing that strong states make a strong
nation.
• c)To develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level
aggregate these progressively at higher levels of government.
• d) To ensure, on areas that are specifically referred to it, that the interests of
national security are incorporated in economic strategy and policy.
• e) To pay special attention to sections of our society that may be at risk of not
benefitting adequately from economic progress.
• f) To design strategic and long-term policy and programme frameworks and
initiatives and monitor their progress and efficacy. The lessons learnt through
monitoring and feedback will be used for making innovative improvements,
including necessary mid-course correction.
• g) To provide advice and encourage partnerships
between key stake holders and national and
international like-minded Think-tanks, as well as
educational and policy research institutions.
• h) To create knowledge, innovation and
entrepreneurial support system through a
collaborative community of national and international
experts, practitioners and other partners.
• i)To offer a platform for resolution for inter-
departmental and inter-sectoral issues in order to
accelerate the implementation of the development
agenda.
• j) To maintain a state-of-the-art Resource Centre, be a
repository of research on good governance and best
practices in sustainable and equitable development as
well as help their dissemination to stake-holders.

• k) To actively monitor and evaluate the

implementation of programmes and initiatives,
including the identification of the needed resources so
as to strengthen the probability of success and scope
of delivery.
• l) To focus on technology upgradation and capacity
building for implementation of programmes and
initiatives.

• m) To undertake activities as may be necessary in

order to further the execution of national
development agenda, and the objectives mentioned
above.
 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA.

• Instead of preparing a Five Year Plan as done by the erstwhile

Planning Commission, NITI Aayog has formulated a National
Development Agenda. The NDA includes the following three:

Vision Document: A perspective plan covering a duration of 15

years(2017-2018 to 2031-2032). It combines national development
goals and international Sustianable Development Goals along with
the plan relating to internal security, defence, etc.
Strategy Document: A seven -year -long plan(2017-18 to 2023-24)
to convert long-term vision into an implementable policy.

Action Plan Document: A three -year short-term action plan (2017-

18 to 2019-20) to translate policies into actions.
 ACHIEVEMENTS OF NITI AAYOG.

I. Contribution in major Agricultural Sector Reforms:

1) Implementation for Minimum Support Price(MSP) for notified
crops: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare on the
advice of NITI Aayog launched Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay
Sanrakshan Abhiyan(PM-AASA) in 2018 which included three
mechanisms:
 Price Support Scheme or Market Assurance Scheme
Price Deficiency Payment Scheme
Pilot on Private Procurement Stockists Scheme.
• 2) Model Act on Contract Farming: Formulated by the Ministry in
consultation with Niti Aayog in order to provide opportunity to farmers to
decide the price of their produce and negotiate with buyers.
• 3) Business Model for Doubling of Farmers’ Income: For this a task
force was set up by Niti Aayog to encourage the application of science
and technology in agricultural production, minimize farmers’ risk and be
based on the use of modern practices.
• 4)Agriculture Export Policy: Inputs from Niti Aayog was provided to
the Ministry of Commerce and Industry stating that Agricultural Export
Policy must contain a section on global export environment and emerging
demands.
• 5) Gramin Agricultural Markets(GrAM): Announced in 2018-19 budget
with the intent to develop and upgrade existing 22,000rural haats into Gramin
Agricultural Markets.
• 6)Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act 2016: By Niti Aayog to both
recognize the rights of the tenant and to safeguard the interest of landowners,
along with a dedicated cell for land reforms.
• 7) Agriculture Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index: introduced
to make understand the need to understand reforms in three key areas- Market
Reforms, Land Lease Reforms and Forestry on Private Land( Felling and
Transit of Trees).
 • 1) National Nutrition Strategy: formulated
by Niti Aayog which played an
instrumental role in shaping and launching
the National Nutritional Mission or
POSHAN Abhiyan by Ministry of Women
and Child Development. The task of its
II. CONTRIBUTION IN monitoring and periodic evaluation lies
MAJOR NUTRITIONAL with the Niti Aayog.
SECTOR REFORMS. • 2) National Council on India’s Nutritional
Challenge constituted by MoWCD under
the Chairmanship of Vice-Chairman of Niti
Aayog to provide policy directions ,
coordinate and review convergence among
Ministries to face India’s nutritional
challenges.
• 3)National Technical Board of Nutrition constituted by MoWCD , under the
Chairmanship of one of the members of Niti Aayog to provide technical, responsive and
evidence- based recommendations on policy relevant issues concerning nutrition of
women and children.

• III Contribution in Major Sector Reforms:

• 1)Significant and close co-ordination with MoH&FW on the conceptualization and
design of Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
• 2) Contribution of Niti Aayog in formulation of National Medical Commission Bill
that has proposed to replaced the Medical Council of India with the new National
Medical Commission.
• 3) Contribution of Niti Aayog in the formulation of Homeopathy(NCH) Bill, 2018,
National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2018 and the National
Commission for Yoga and Naturopathy Bill,2018.
• IV. Contribution in major Education Sector Reforms:
1) Contribution in the formulation of Performance- Based graded
autonomy framework for universities in order to provide greater
autonomy to them.
2) Contribution in strengthening the accreditation framework under
which new UGC regulations would enable additional agencies ,
including third party agencies , to accredit higher educational
institutions .
 • 1) Niti Aayog has played an active role
in the framing of the draft National
Mineral Policy-2018 by constituting two
committees on utilization of fly ash and
slag.
V. C O N T R I B U T I O N S I N M A J O R • 2) various committees were constituted
MINERAL SECTOR REFORMS:
by Niti Aayog to evolve a strategy for
self reliance in rare earth minerals and
to develop a road map to combat
restrictive trade practices and harness
the availability of domestic and global
resources.
 • Drafting of National Energy Policy
2018 was initiated by Niti Aayog. It is
VI. CONTRIBUTION to deal with objectives of increased
IN ENERGY SECTOR accessibility of energy, enhanced
REFORMS. energy independence, greater
sustainability and higher economic
growth.
 VII: TRANSFORMING INDIA’S GOLD
MARKET.

• A Committee on Transforming India’s Gold Market was

constituted by Niti Aayog to recommend measures for
tapping into the potential of gold market in India and to
provide a stimulus to exports, economic growth and
employment.
 VIII.ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICTS PROGRAMME

• A unique task to transform 115 distinguished regions that have

demonstrated low advancement in key social indicators and have
risen as pockets of under-development; 49 key performance
pointers have been chosen with the aim of improving the simplicity
of living as well as enhancing the monetary efficiency.
 IX.. ATAL INNOVATION MISSION

• AIM was launched under Niti Aayog to build innovative

temperament in the country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) are to be established in schools
to foster creativity and scientific temperament among
students where students can design and make small.
Prototypes to solve challenges they see around them.