Reorganisation of NITI Aayog by the Government of India

The Government of India has recently undertaken a reorganisation of the NITI Aayog, aiming to strengthen its role in policy formulation and make it more effective and outcome-oriented.Established in 2015 in place of the Planning Commission, NITI Aayog serves as the government’s premier policy think tank, promoting cooperative federalism and designing long-term development strategies for the country.Under the new restructuring, the government has introduced changes in the leadership structure and appointed new full-time members. This step is intended to enhance expertise, efficiency, and decision-making capacity within the institution.Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that NITI Aayog has become a vital pillar of India’s policy-making architecture, promoting cooperative federalism, reforms, and ‘Ease of Living’. Ashok Kumar Lahiri has been appointed as the Vice Chairman. The following have been appointed as Full-Time Members: Rajiv Gauba, K. V. Raju, Gobardhan Das, Abhay Karandikar, and M. Srinivas. The Prime Minister extended best wishes to the newly appointed members for a productive and impactful tenure.

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India)

¨     On January 1, 2015, NITI Aayog was established as the successor to the Planning Commission through an executive resolution of the Government of India (Union Cabinet).

¨     It is a non-constitutional body (not created by the Constitution) and a non-statutory body (not created by an Act of Parliament).

Role and Functions of NITI Aayog

¨     NITI Aayog serves as the premier policy think tank of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs.

¨     It is responsible for designing strategic and long-term policies and programmes for national development.

¨     It also provides technical advice to both the Centre and States.

The institution marks a significant shift from the Planning Commission era:

¨     The one-way flow of policy from Centre to States is replaced by a genuine partnership between the Centre and States.

¨     It adopts a collaborative approach instead of the earlier command-and-control model.

¨     In line with the spirit of federalism, it follows a bottom-up approach, incorporating inputs from various stakeholders rather than a top-down model.