The maturing of India’s governmental institutions has enabled increasing the specialization of
their functions. There is thus a need to separate as well as energize the distinct ‘strategy’ element
of governance from the usual ‘process’ and ‘implementation’ element. As a dedicated
Think Tank
of the Government, NITI Aayog will carry out this ‘directional’ role, strategically charting the future
of the nation. It will provide specialised inputs - strategic, functional and technical - to the Prime
Minister and the Government (Centre as well as State), on matters critical to the fulfilment of the
national development agenda.
2.
Shared National Agenda:
Evolve a shared vision of national development priorities and
strategies, with the active involvement of States. This will provide the framework ‘national
agenda’ for the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers to implement.
3.
State’s Best Friend at the Centre:
Support States in addressing their own challenges, as well
as building on strengths and comparative advantages. This will be through various means,
such as coordinating with Ministries, championing their ideas at the centre, providing
consultancy support and building capacity.
4.
Decentralized Planning:
Restructure the planning process into a bottom-up model,
empowering States, and guiding them to further empower local governments; in developing
mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level, which are progressively aggregated
up the higher levels of government.
5.
Vision & Scenario Planning:
Design medium and long-term strategic frameworks of the big
picture vision of India’s future - across schemes, sectors, regions and time; factoring in all
possible alternative assumptions and counterfactuals. These would be the drivers of the
national reforms agenda, especially focussed on identifying critical gaps and harnessing
untapped potentialities. The same would need to be intrinsically dynamic with their progress
and efficacy constantly monitored for necessary mid-course recalibration; and the overall
environment (domestic and global) continuously scanned for incorporating evolving trends and
addressing emerging challenges.
The above would mean a fundamental transition from merely planning for where the Nation’s
money goes, to planning where we want the Nation to go. And given its unique position as the
aggregator and integrator of all developmental initiatives of the Government of India and
States, the NITI Aayog would be ideally suited for the same.
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