National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog)

To meet the modern economic needs of the country the NITI Aayog or National Institute for transforming India as established on the first day of the year 2015 replacing the erstwhile planning commission. Since the development of NITI Aayog as the chief policy planning body of the Government of India, the organization intends to implement agenda of cooperative federalism where states are included in the formulation of economic policies, that offers policy and expertise guidance in several fields, fosters innovation and creation with the help of the programs like Atal Innovation Mission, and also helps to track the proper execution of government schemes for better governance and inclusiveness. The Planning Commission’s replacement was suggested in the May 2014 report jointly released by the Independent Evaluation Office. On the 13th of August, 2014 after the Union Cabinet sanctioned its formation on January 1st, 2015 it came into effect. NITI Aayog is the newly-formed government of India’s top public policy institution that is tasked with building the concept of cooperative federalism through participation of state governments in determining the country’s economic policies using bottom up approach. The corporation offers policy advisory within segments like power, coal, renewable energy and infrastructure to the central and state governments.

Achievements :-

Some of the Achievements of the NITI Aayog are:

• New Aspirational District Programmecreated to transform the least developed districts in India by presenting concentration on main sectors such as health, education, and infrastructure.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM): Atal Tinkering Labs helps students to develop innovative ideas and solutions, while Atal Incubation Centres foster the feeling of entrepreneurship.
• Agricultural Reforms: Implemented the Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act and the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act making agriculture more progressive and raising farmers’ income.
• Health and Nutrition:Launched POSHAN Abhiyan, the National Nutrition Mission to achieve holistic improvement in nutritional status of children, and women, specifically, pregnant and nursing mothers.
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):It is the responsibility of Aayog to ensure the implementation of SDGs in the country and to assess its implementation by the state governments and the Union Government.
• Competitive Federalism: Began to use indices for the ranking of states with reference to different parameters, such as health, education, successful management of water, etc., to create competitive federalism among the states.
• Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage: Established programmes within automotive industry to switch to electric cars and green transportation.
• Public-Private Partnerships (PPP): In many cases, sometimes proactively and where politically feasible, helped to facilitate a number of PPP projects that has improve infrastructure and services delivery across various sectors.
• Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP): Founded to empower women in business and assist them in marketing their ventures since it offers businesses owned by women an opportunity to seek for capital.

Functions of NITI Aayog :-

For effective implementation of the set goal and agenda for developmental change in India, several functions are performed by NITI Aayog,which includes:

• Policy Formulation:Enables that necessary policy frameworks and programs required for the government to be developed and designed in the long-term.
• Cooperative Federalism:to bring a balance between the State governments and the Union government.
• Monitoring and Evaluation:it has the responsibility to monitor work of the governments and providing evaluation and reports on it.
• Advisory Role:Provides advice and consultancy services to central and state ministry in some policy matters.
• Innovation and Research:Acts as a library and knowledge hub working towards the progress of research and urgent affairs and flagship projects such as AIM.
• Resource Centre:Serves as a modern database that stores reference sources concerning good governance and practices.
• Public-Private Partnerships (PPP):Coordinates the multilateral relations of private players and government in infrastructure development projects and raising the standards of service delivery.
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):it participates in the monitoring and evaluation of the results of governments of states and union governments’ work in relation to the sustainable development goals issued by the United Nations and providing support to them to attain the SDG goals.
• Resolution of Inter-Sectorial Issues:Functions as a venue for addressing the sector and departmental issues so as to enhance the flow of the development agenda.
• Capacity Building:Stresses one on the dimensions of technical improvement and general conditioning of capabilities for programs and schemes implementation.

These roles make NITI Aayog very central in the modern India as it undertake the responsibility of policy mentoring to India and co-ordinating sustainability as well as inclusive growth.

Composition :-

• Chairperson:The Prime Minister of India as the Chairperson.
• Governing Council:it has all the chief ministers or operational heads of the states and the union territories.
• Vice-Chairperson:Usually, these are nominated by the Prime Minister.
• Full-Time Members:The population involves persons with professional careers in different areas.
• Part-Time Members:selected from the well-knownor elite universities, research institutes, and other relevant organizations on a rotating basis.
• Ex-Officio Members:Union Council of Ministers; Four members from CoM nominated by Prime Minister.
• Chief Executive Officer (CEO):Appointed by the Prime Minister for management of NITI Aayog on day to day basis.
• Special Invitees:experts from various fields.

Cooperative Federalism and NITI Aayog :-

Cooperative federalism is a system where State governments and Central government work together with harmony to develop the country. It is a cooperative association rather than a subordinate relationship of the local government with state and federal authorities.
The NITI Aayog is promoter of Cooperative Federalism in the country and plays a role by the following:

• Platform for Collaboration:NITI Aayog also functions as an interface for the central as well as the state governments with regard to policy matters. It unites states as the ‘Team India’ to figure out the development agenda of the country.
• Policy Support and Capacity Building:it provides the assistance to the state governments and the union government to formulate the policy and enhancing the infrastructure for the policy formulation. This ranges from exchanging ideas on what has been found to work and providing technical assistance to members.
• Sub-Groups of Chief Ministers:Establishes other formations of the Chief Ministers on sectors of national concern with a view of harmonizing on contentious issues.
• Model Laws and Reforms:it has done worked very well on formulating the modern laws. One can understand it through the examples like Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act and the APMC Act. Both Acts worked as a catalyst to the farmer’s income and provided supported to their finances.
• Thematic Engagements:Organizes and participates in theme-based extensive interactions in other sectors in which different states and union territories are put at the centre of the policy development process.
• Development Support Services:The organization offers developmental support services to all the states and union territories in India, that include SATH (Sustainable Action for Transforming Human) programme.
• Monitoring and Evaluation:supervises the functioning of the government programs and plans, and its interventions that is assessing with the indicators of the program as to whether they are functioning well and can be maintained, or if they need to be modified.
• Competitive Federalism:Encourages competitive federalism by preparing rank lists of states against parameters like health, education, water etc.
• Technical Advice:Advises the Union government, government of States and UTs regarding the technology and provides assistance to make them tech compatible.

7 pillars of Aayog :-

NITI Aayog on the 7 principles of effective governance. These pillars are, as it is meant to deliver comprehensible and all-round development in different sectors. Here are the 7 pillars:

1. Pro-People:Plans and measures are implemented to help the people and solve problems for the people.
2. Pro-Activity:Fosters early intervention in cases of emerging issues with the aim of exercising preventative management.
3. Participation:It compels all stakeholders, or in this cases the citizens, to participate in the formulation of the policies.
4. Empowering:Majorly highlight self-help strategies for individuals and communities particularly the vulnerable members in the society to be active players in the developmental processes.
5. Inclusion of All:Assures that sections of society, be it the male and female, those in developed or underdeveloped regions, any religion , any cast, or any class, participate in developmental procedures.
6. Equality:Work to minimize differences and inequalities for people with a focus on equality for everyone.
7. Transparency:Fosters openness and quality delivery in governance to win the people’s confidence in government and its policies.

These integrated pillars define NITI Aayog’s framework for policy formulation and execution, so that the development attained is sustainable and inclusive, with minimal disparities.

Reports published by Aayog are:-

• SDG India Index 2023-24:This estimates the level of SDG achievement in the states and union territories.
• Electronics: powering India’s participation in Global Value Chains:Explains how India can provide electronics to the world.
• Boosting Exports from MSMEs:Offers some support for the improvement of export capabilities of Micro Small and Medium enterprises.
• Senior Care Reforms in India:Revolutionizes the concept of operation in senior care in India.
• Greening and Restoration of Wastelands with Agroforestry (G.R.O.W):It is involved in the rehabilitation of wastelands with special reference to agroforestry.
• Improving the Culture of Research and Development (R&D) in State Universities and Institutes:Provides recommendations on improving the prospects of carrying out Research and Development in state universities.
• Domestic Manufacturing Capacity & Potential Cyber Security Challenges in the wind sector and Way Forward: to provide support to thedomestic manufacturing and working on cyber security challenges.
• Developing Chemistry agnostic standards for energy storage technologies: making India green and reducing the carbon emission and shifting towards e-vehicles and solar energy or renewable sources.
• Leveraging State Data Ecosystems for State and District Level Policy and Planning: making the work easy for the states with data and ultimately promoting the good governance.
• Working Group Report on Crop Husbandry, Agriculture Inputs, Demand & Supply: to have a check and records of the demand and supply of crops and livestock products and agricultural inputs.