Cseet current affairs - National bodies- MCQ - part 1

NATIONAL BODIES

NITI AAYOG

The NITI Aayog’s precursor, the Planning Commission was established in March 1950 by a Government of India resolution with the Prime Minister as Chairperson. The initial mandate was to establish heavy industries through public investment as a means for achieving rapid industrialization.

The Government of India, in keeping with its reform agenda, constituted the NITI Aayog to replace the Planning Commission. This was done in order to better serve the needs and aspirations of the people of India. An important evolutionary change from the past, NITI Aayog acts as the quintessential platform of the Government of India to bring States to act together in the national interest, and thereby fosters Cooperative Federalism.

The NITI Aayog, established in 2015, is one of Indian democracy’s youngest institutions.

NITI Aayog is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs. While designing strategic and long-term policies and programmes for the Government of India, NITI Aayog also provides relevant technical advice to the Centre and States.

NITI Aayog’s entire gamut of activities can be divided into four main heads:

1. Policy and Programme Framework

2. Cooperative Federalism

3. Monitoring and Evaluation

4. Think Tank, and Knowledge and Innovation Hub

Objective

• To evolve a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the

active involvement of States.

• To foster cooperative federalism through structured support initiatives and mechanisms with the

States on a continuous basis, recognizing that strong States make a strong nation.

• To develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level and aggregate these

progressively at higher levels of government.

• To ensure, on areas that are specifically referred to it, that the interests of national security are

incorporated in economic strategy and policy.

• To pay special attention to the sections of our society that may be at risk of not benefiting

adequately from economic progress.

• To design strategic and long-term policy and programme frameworks and initiatives, and monitor their progress and their efficacy. The lessons learnt through monitoring and feedback will be used for making innovative improvements, including necessary mid-course corrections.

• To provide advice and encourage partnerships between key stakeholders and national and

international like-minded think tanks, as well as educational and policy research institutions.

• To create a knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurial support system through a collaborative

community of national and international experts, practitioners and other partners.

• To offer a platform for the resolution of inter-sectoral and inter-departmental issues in order to

accelerate the implementation of the development agenda.

• To maintain a state-of-the-art resource centre, be a repository of research on good governance and best practices in sustainable and equitable development as well as help their dissemination to stake-holders.

• To actively monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes and initiatives, including the identification of the needed resources so as to strengthen the probability of success and scope of delivery.

• To focus on technology upgradation and capacity building for implementation of programmes

and initiatives.

• To undertake other activities as may be necessary in order to further the execution of the

national development agenda, and the objectives mentioned above.

Present Constitution of NITI Aayog

Chairperson- Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister

Vice Chairperson- Shri Suman Bery

Minister of State - Rao Inderjit Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Ministry of Planning; and Union Minister of State of Ministry of Corporate Affairs

Full-Time Members- Shri V.K. Saraswat, Prof. Ramesh Chand, Dr. V. K. Paul, Dr. Arvind Virmani

Chief Executive Officer- Shri BVR Subrahmanyam

Governing Council of NITI Aayog has been reconstituted w.e.f February 19, 2021 as under:

1. Chairperson-Prime Minister of India

2. Ex-Officio Members- NITI Aayog

3. Vice Chairperson- NITI Aayog

4. Full Time Members - NITI Aayog

5. Chief Ministers of All States and UTs

6. LGs of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ladakh

7. Special Invitees of NITI Aayog will be special invitees of Governing Council

8. Administrators of UTs of Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep will be special invitees of Governing Council.

So far, seven meetings of the Governing Council have been held under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Prime Minister with Chief Ministers/Lt Governors of the States/UTs and other members of the Governing Council. In the seventh meeting which was held on August 07, 2022, the Governing Council discussed four key agenda items:

1. Crop diversification and achieving self-sufficiency in pulses, oilseeds and other agri-commodities;

2. Implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) in school education;

3. Implementation of National Education Policy in higher education; and

4. Urban governance.

Relevance of NITI Aayog

• Competitive Federalism:

• Cooperative federalism:

• Greater Accountability:

• Think tank of innovative ideas:

• Convergence for resolution:

NITI Aayog in News

NITI Aayog Pushed Govt to Privatise PDS, Slash Free Food Coverage, Subsidies (February 10, 2023) In the latest Union budget presented on February 2, there was a deep slash in foodgrain subsidy for the poor, with a massive 63% cut. To achieve this cost-saving measure, the government in December 2022 put an end to the free-food scheme that was rolled out during the COVID-19, rejigged other schemes under the National Food Security Act and rebranded them under the prime minister’s name.

NITI Aayog proposes setting up separate central board for vocational education (February 07, 2023)