Government Institutions & Commissions Module

NITI Aayog & Policy Think Tanks

Policy think tanks and statutory research institutions provide strategic and technical advice that drives national development policies. The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) was established via a Union Cabinet resolution on January 1, 2015, replacing the 65-year-old Planning Commission to foster cooperative federalism and bottom-up planning. Chaired by the Prime Minister, NITI Aayog's Governing Council includes all State Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories. NITI Aayog monitors national progress through composite benchmarking tools such as the SDG India Index, Aspirational Districts Programme, and State Energy and Climate Index, promoting competitive policy innovation across states.

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Key Concepts & Examination Highlights

NITI Aayog was established on January 1, 2015, as a non-constitutional, non-statutory extra-constitutional think tank via an executive resolution of the Union Cabinet.
The Prime Minister of India serves as the ex-officio Chairperson of NITI Aayog, supported by a Vice-Chairperson and a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) appointed by the Prime Minister.
The Governing Council of NITI Aayog comprises the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers of all States, Chief Ministers of UTs with legislatures (Delhi, Puducherry, J&K), and Lieutenant Governors of other UTs.
The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched by NITI Aayog in January 2018, tracks the rapid transformation of 112 under-developed districts across 49 key performance indicators.

Curriculum & Reference Sources: NITI Aayog Publications, Cabinet Secretariat Resolutions, and SDG India Index Reports.