Government’s think tank NITI Aayog will hold a ‘chintan shivir’ for reimagining its role to fulfil the “vision” of Amrit Kaal, a 25-year period between 2022 and 2047, it is learnt. According to a source, the ‘chintan shivir’ to be held in May, will focus broadly on five themes, which are NITI for ‘viksit Bharat’, ‘bank of wisdom’, ‘working with states’, ‘strengthening networking’, and ‘in-house capacity’. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and all four members of NITI Aayog have been tasked with each of the five topics, source said. Under the theme ‘Viksit Bharat’, the focus will be on discussing the role of NITI in helping India become a developed nation by 2047, said the source, adding that NITI Aayog member Arvind Virmani has been made nodal officer for this theme. The source said that NITI Aayog member V K Paul has been made a nodal member for the theme, ‘bank of wisdom’, which will focus on the role of NITI as a think tank. “All vertical heads will be required to provide two-page inputs (in total) on each of the five themes to the nodal adviser concerned,” the source said. “Based on the inputs and deliberations, nodal advisers prepare brief background notes (4-5 pages) on their respective sessions, taking stock of existing initiatives and developing a roadmap for the future,” the source added. The NITI Aayog, headed by the Prime Minister, was established through a Cabinet Resolution on January 1, 2015, replacing the erstwhile Planning Commission. The Governing Council headed by the Prime Minister, also comprising the chief ministers of all the states and Lt Governors of Union Territories, is the top decision-making body of the Aayog. The Aayog is tasked to evolve a “shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the active involvement of states in the light of national objectives”. One of the objectives of the NITI Aayog is to “foster cooperative federalism through structured support initiatives and mechanisms with the states on a continuous basis, recognising that strong states make a strong nation”. As per the Cabinet Resolution, the NITI Aayog has been given mandate to develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level and aggregate these progressively at higher levels of government.
