Govt reconstitutes NITI Aayog under PM Modi's chairmanship | What are its role and functions?

NITI Aayog: The Narendra Modi-led NDA government reconstituted NITI Aayog, appointing four full-time members and including 15 union ministers, including those from BJP allies, as ex-officio members or special invitees. This reconstitution followed changes in the Council of Ministers. Now, let's delve into the role and functions of NITI Aayog.

What is NITI Aayog?

The National Institution for Transforming India, or NITI Aayog, was constituted in 2015 when the PM Modi-led Union government chose to scrap the 65-year-old Planning Commission. The NITI Aayog was formed to bring fresh ideas to the government. It plays a vital role in the development process of the country. It is the premier policy think tank of the Government of India, providing directional and policy inputs.

Who are the members of NITI Aayog?

Chairman: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Vice Chairman: Suman Bery

Full-Time members:

VK Saraswat
Professor Ramesh Chand
Dr VK Paul
Arvind Virmani

Ex-officio Members

Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs; and Minister of Cooperation
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; and Minister of Rural Development
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance; and Minister of Corporate Affairs

Special Invitees

Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways
Jagat Prakash Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers
HD Kumaraswamy, Minister of Heavy Industries; and Minister of Steel
Jitan Ram Manjhi, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium
Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Minister of Panchayati Raj; and Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Dr. Virendra Kumar, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment
Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Minister of Civil Aviation
Jual Oram, Minister of Tribal Affairs
Annpurna Devi, Minister of Women and Child Development
Chirag Paswan, Minister of Food Processing Industries
Rao lnderjit Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture

Here are its key roles and functions:

NITI Aayog formulates medium and long-term strategic plans and policies for the government, focusing on sustainable and inclusive growth.
It designs developmental strategies and initiatives in key sectors such as agriculture, education, health, infrastructure, and more, aligning them with national priorities.
The Aayog monitors the implementation of policies and programs, evaluating their effectiveness and recommending corrective measures.
It promotes research and innovation in various fields to foster economic growth and development.
NITI Aayog fosters cooperative federalism by facilitating collaboration between the central government and the states in policy formulation and implementation.
The Aayog undertakes special initiatives and schemes aimed at addressing specific developmental challenges and promoting sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Objectives of NITI Aayog

To evolve a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the active involvement of States.
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
To develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level and aggregate these progressively at higher levels of government
To ensure, on areas that are specifically referred to it, that the interests of national security are incorporated in economic strategy and policy.
To pay special attention to the sections of our society that may be at risk of not benefiting adequately from economic progress.
To design strategic and long-term policy and programme frameworks and initiatives, and monitor their progress and their efficacy. The lessons learned through monitoring and feedback will be used for making innovative improvements, including necessary mid-course corrections.
To provide advice and encourage partnerships between key stakeholders and national and international like-minded think tanks, as well as educational and policy research institutions.
To create a knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurial support system through a collaborative community of national and international experts, practitioners and other partners.
To offer a platform for the resolution of inter-sectoral and inter departmental issues in order to accelerate the implementation of the development agenda.
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.
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.
To focus on technology upgradation and capacity building for implementation of programmes and initiatives
To undertake other activities as may be necessary in order to further the execution of the national development agenda, and the objectives mentioned above.