NITI Aayog

7.1 Creation and Structure

Established by a Cabinet Resolution on 1 January 2015, NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) replaced the Planning Commission (1950–2014).

Composition:

• Chairperson: Prime Minister (ex-officio)
• Governing Council: Chief Ministers of all States + Lt. Governors of UTs
• Vice-Chairperson: Appointed by PM (e.g., Arvind Panagariya 2015–17, Rajiv Kumar 2017–22, Suman Bery 2022–present)
• CEO: Secretary to GoI rank
• Full-time members: Experts in relevant fields
• Special invitees: Ministers nominated by PM

7.2 Planning Commission vs NITI Aayog

Aspect	Planning Commission	NITI Aayog
Founded	1950	2015
Five-Year Plans	Yes (1st to 12th)	No; replaced by 3/7-year visions
Financial allocation	Yes (allocated Plan funds)	No financial allocation power
Federal approach	Top-down	Bottom-up, cooperative federalism
Role of states	Recipients of Plan funds	Partners; CMs in Governing Council
Dispute resolution	Implicit arbitrator	No such role

NITI Aayog's key initiatives:

• Vision 2047 (Viksit Bharat@2047)
• SDG India Index — ranking states on Sustainable Development Goals
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) — promoting startups and innovation in schools
• 15-Year Vision, 7-Year Strategy, 3-Year Action Agenda framework

---