Is NITI Aayog old wine in a new bottle? (Reviewing the progress of NITI)

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 Is NITI Aayog old wine in a new bottle? (Reviewing the progress of NITI)

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Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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• Challenges for Modi 2.0 : There are clear challenges - (a) to  increase employment and incomes, (b) revive growth, (c) untangle  the financial sector, (d) navigate global trade, (e) solve health and education problems, (f) tackle pollution and water issues.
• Two new Cabinet Committees : Prior to the elections, the govt. actively denied that there was a jobs and growth problem. But fortunately, two new Cabinet Committees formed in June 2019 show its seriousness.
• Our long way ahead : All said and done, our road to genuine prosperity and inclusion is going to be very long, alongwith ensuring environmental sustainability. Clearly, a good plan and strategy is needed.
• Who'll make these : Our track record till date - of per capita income and equality - clearly suggest that we don't have those capabilities. Modi knows it, and hence abolished the Planning Commission (PC) in 2014, replacing it with the NITI Aayog – National Institution for Transforming India.
• Doing it, not just planning it : The 2014-2019 performance has raised fingers at the NITI Aayog too, and its execution abilities. The plans are good, but the large-scale and diverse nature of India, which needs cooperation from States, private bodies, civil society and political opposition is another matter altogether.
• What ex-PM Dr Manmohan Singh tried : Dr Singh realised that the PC needed drastic reforms. So, he wanted "System Reform“ rather than just Five-year-plans, and the "power of persuasion“ without giving budgets. 
• Rangrajan Commission : It recommended that budgetary powers should remain only with the Finance Ministry and not the PC at all. Many state CMs were constantly pushing for the PC to be more realistic towards their needs (including Gujarat CM Mr Modi). Hence, the 2014 decision to setup NITI (on 01-01-2015).
• Time to review : Has NITI really become the catalyst of change in a complex, federal, socioeconomic system? Many now suspect it has become an announcer of lofty multiyear goals and manager of projects!
• Is it independent enough? This is the most serious charge against the NITI Aayog - that it has no longer remained an independent body capable of offering critical inputs to the government, but is a mere mouthpiece of it. There is no Evaluation Body in NITI either. Action has to be evaluated in parallel, not post-facto (which is the actual situation now).
• Bottle and Wine : NITI Charter is ambitious, and is the new "bottle" - cooperative learning, no budgetary control, etc. But the "wine" in it is old - budgets, controls, expert solutions from above.  The only way to find out its efficacy is by a thorough review of its  performance.
• Summary : The time has come to review the performance of the NITI Aayog and check if it is truly performing the “transformational” role that was allotted to it.

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