New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been made a member of the Governing Council of newly-formed NITI Aayog, which has Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it chairman.
Kejriwal has come in place of national capital territory's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.
The Centre has issued a notification regarding composition of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog for amending its Cabinet Resolution through which the new body was created.
“Governing Council comprising the Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories with Legislatures and Lt. Governors of other Union Territories,” it said.
According to the earlier notification issued in January, the Chief Minister of Delhi was not on board of the Governing Council and Lt. Governor was representing the state.
The earlier notification said: “Governing Council comprising the Chief Ministers of all the States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories.”
The Centre has amended its Cabinet Resolution after Kejriwal was sworn in as Delhi Chief Minister on January 14. The new notification clearly states that whosoever is the Chief Minister of Delhi, will represent the state in the Governing Council of the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog.
The government had replaced erstwhile Planning Commission with NITI Aayog through a Cabinet Resolution which was released on January 1.
The Centre had said that the institution will serve as ‘Think Tank' of the Government—as a directional and policy dynamo.
“NITI Aayog will provide Governments at the central and state levels with relevant strategic and technical advice across the spectrum of key elements of policy, this includes matters of national and international import on the economic front, dissemination of best practices from within the country as well as from other nations, the infusion of new policy ideas and specific issue-based support,” the government had said in statement.
