Context:
In the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog, chaired by the Prime Minister, leaders from 20 states and 6 union territories gathered to discuss the “Viksit Bharat @2047” theme. The meeting aimed to establish a comprehensive framework for India’s progress towards becoming a developed nation by 2047.
Relevance:
GS II: Government Policies and Interventions
Dimensions of the Article:
- Key Outcomes of the Meeting
- Governing Council of NITI Aayog
- About NITI Aayog
Key Outcomes of the Meeting
- Economic Ambition
- India aspires to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2047, targeting a GDP of USD 30 trillion. This ambitious goal emphasizes the country’s commitment to sustained growth, innovation, and international competitiveness.
- Vision Development by States and Districts
- The meeting urged each state and district to develop a strategic vision for 2047, aligning with India’s national development goals.
- States’ Role in National Progress
- The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of states’ development in achieving national objectives, stressing that developed states are essential for a developed India.
- Focus on Poverty Alleviation
- A major point of discussion was the elimination of poverty at the grassroots level, with the idea of ‘zero poverty’ villages being explored to ensure comprehensive development.
- Infrastructure and Governance
- The significance of robust infrastructure, law and order, and effective governance was stressed as crucial for attracting investment.
- Investment-Friendly Environment
- An ‘Investment-friendly Charter’ was proposed to encourage states to create an investor-friendly environment, with indicators to promote healthy competition among states.
- Youth Skill Development
- The meeting emphasized the need to enhance youth skills to make them employment-ready, leveraging India’s demographic advantage in the global job market.
- Agricultural Innovation and Natural Farming
- The discussions focused on boosting agricultural productivity, diversifying agricultural practices, and promoting natural farming to improve soil health, reduce costs, and access international markets.
- Strategic Recommendations
- Key themes such as drinking water, electricity, healthcare, education, and land management were highlighted, based on recommendations from the National Conference of Chief Secretaries.
- Addressing Population Aging
- The Prime Minister encouraged states to develop demographic management plans to tackle future challenges related to population aging.
- Capacity Building in Government
- States were urged to invest in the capacity building of government officials at all levels and to collaborate with the Capacity Building Commission.
- Water Resource Management
- The creation of River Grids was recommended to optimize water resource utilization at the state level.
- Technological Integration in Governance
- The integration of cybersecurity measures and artificial intelligence in governance was identified as crucial for addressing future challenges and enhancing governance efficiency.
Governing Council of NITI Aayog
- Overview
- The Governing Council is the primary body responsible for developing a shared vision of national priorities and strategies, engaging states in shaping India’s development agenda.
- Cooperative Federalism
- The Council embodies the principles of cooperative federalism, serving as a platform for discussions on inter-sectoral, inter-departmental, and federal issues to accelerate national development.
- Membership
- The Council is chaired by the Prime Minister and includes Chief Ministers of States and Union Territories with legislatures, Lieutenant Governors of other Union Territories, Ex-Officio Members, the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Full-Time Members, and Special Invitees.
- Functions
- The Governing Council Secretariat (GCS) coordinates the Council’s meetings and activities, as well as those of NITI Aayog’s various Verticals, Divisions, and Units. GCS also handles administrative and procedural matters, including coordinating the Annual Report for Parliamentary circulation and managing other governance-related tasks.
About NITI Aayog
- The NITI Aayog serves as the apex public policy think tank of the GoI.
- It was established in 2015, by the NDA government, to replace the Planning Commission which followed a top-down model.
- It advises both the centre and states on social and economic issues.
- It is neither a constitutional body nor a statutory body but the outcome of an executive resolution. It was not created by the act of parliament.
It has two Hubs.
- Team India Hub acts as interface between States and Centre.
- Knowledge and Innovation Hub builds the think-tank acumen of NITI Aayog.
Composition:
- Chairperson: Prime minister
- Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by Prime-Minister
- Governing Council: Chief Ministers of all states and Lt. Governors of Union Territories.
- Regional Council: To address specific regional issues, Comprising Chief Minister and Lt. Governors Chaired by the Prime Minister or his nominee.
- Ad-hoc Membership: Two members in ex-officio capacity from leading Research institutions on a rotational.
- Ex-Officio membership: Maximum four from the Union council of ministers to be nominated by the Prime Minister.
- Chief Executive Officer: Appointed by the Prime-minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank of Secretary to Government of India.
- Special Invitees: Experts, Specialists with domain knowledge nominated by the Prime Minister.
Objectives:
- To generate a platform for national development, sectors and strategies with the collaboration of states and centre.
- To boost the factor of cooperative federalism between the centre and the states. For national development, it is necessary for both wings to work in synergy.
- To develop such mechanisms which work at the ground root level for progressive growth. A nation develops when its regions and states develop.
- To work on long term policies and strategies for long-term development.
- To set up a system for monitoring progress so that it can be used for analysing and improving methods.
- To provide a platform for resolving inter-departmental issues amicably.
- To make it a platform where the programmes, strategies, and schemes can be monitored on a day to day basis, and it could be understood which sector needs more resources to develop.
- To upgrade technological advancements in such a manner that focus can be made on initiatives and programmes.
- To ensure India’s level and ranking at the worldwide level and to make India an actively participating nation.
- To progress from food security towards nutrition and standardised meals and focus on agricultural production.
- To make use of more technology to avoid misadventures and corruption in governance.
- To make the working system more transparent and accountable.
