5.52 ndian onom
growth and development. We see a pronounced trAnsforming inDiA
policy shift in the direction of ‘empowering and The government aims at ‘transforming the
keeping state in front’ by giving them more development agenda of India’ with the help of the
financial space and responsiblities.104 Keeping NITI Aayog and has given a slogan, ‘from planning
its promises in the direction, the government to NITI’. India has undergone a paradigm
abolished the Planning Commission (PC) and shift over the past six decades—politically,
replaced it by a new body—the NITI Aayog. The economically, socially, technologically as well
acronym NITI stands for National Institution as demographically. The role of the government
for Transforming India. We see the government in national development has seen a parallel
aspiring for the emergence of the ‘Team India’ in evolution. Keeping with these changing times, the
government decided to set up the NITI Aayog as
the new body. It will be premature to be conclusive
a means to better serve the needs and aspirations
on this shift from “Planning to NITI” (as the
of the people of India. The government thinks
government calls). Even an academic comparison the new institution to function as a catalyst to
between the old and the new bodies will also the developmental process—nurturing an overall
not serve enough purpose as it needs some time enabling environment, through a holistic approach
when the outcome of the change will be available. to development going beyond the limited sphere
Judgments on this shift will be only good once it is of the public sector and the GoI, which will be
done after some period of time. In the meantime, built on the foundations of:
India remains a planned economy. The discussion (i) An empowered role of states as equal
given here is mainly based on the documents and partners in national development;
releases which came out from the GoI before operationalising the principle of
and after the NITI Aayog was set up (January 1, Cooperative Federalism.
2015). In these documents, the government has (ii) A knowledge hub of internal as well as
not only provided the reasons as why does India external resources, serving as a repository
of good governance best practices, and a
need to go in for a new body, but charts out a very
Think Tank offering domain knowledge
encouraging and out of tradition role/function
as well as strategic expertise to all levels of
for the new body. An attempt has been made to the government.
closely follow the ‘government line’ of thinking so (iii) A collaborative platform facilitating
that the ‘spirit’ of it is not lost. Implementation; by monitoring progress,
104. Such a stance in the process of planning we find in plugging gaps and bringing together the
the document of the th lan for the first various ministries at the Centre and in
time when the government of the time (the NDA-led) states, in the joint pursuit of developmental
made the call : ‘if states are developed, the nation
is developed’. We find a pronounced shift towards
goals.
‘decentralised planning’ (the Plan was nicknamed as the
‘People’s Plan’). The new idea of ‘monitorable targets’ chAnging contours of inDiA
also commenced in this plan giving states more say and
accountibility in the process of planned development The government agrees that the Planning
(these targets were continued within the forthcoming Commission has served India well. However,
Plans). Several other steps were also taken in this Plan India has changed dramatically over the past 65
aimed at bringing the states in the mainstream of the
developmental process, viz., by giving them increased years at multiple levels and across varied scales.
role and accountibility. These transformatory forces have changed the