E-Paper
Plans of setting up state NITI Aayog in Uttar Pradesh far from reality
Uttar Pradesh State Niti Aayog was expected to replace the state planning commission set up nearly 50 years ago.
Uttar Pradesh’s grand plan to set up a state-level Niti Aayog to formulate, evaluate and monitor policies hasn’t taken off more than a year after the state’s finance minister Suresh Khanna government made the announcement in his budget speech in February last year.
Senior officers of the state planning department remained tight-lipped on the issue. Others, however, assert that process to set up the state’s policy think tank in accordance with the announcement has been initiated, though giving shape to the new body may take some time.
“We have held preliminary discussions and will take further action as and when the modalities and the likely organization structure of the proposed State Niti Aayog are finalised,” said a senior officer of the state planning department.
Usually, the budgetary announcements are implemented in the same financial year and 2020-2021 ended on March 31, 2021. The state government may have to expedite action at every stage to make the State Niti Aayog a reality in near future.
“If the state government made any announcement about setting up of a State Niti Aayog to replace the state planning commission it should have taken early action. The old institution is yet to be scrapped and the new one has not been given shape. Any delay may affect the planning process,” said Yashvir Tyagi, former professor department of economic, Lucknow University.
Also read: India’s vaccine supply: States, UTs receive 129,428,360 doses
Uttar Pradesh State Niti Aayog was expected to replace the state planning commission set up nearly 50 years ago. The state planning commission lost its relevance after January 1, 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to do away with the Planning Commission of India and set up the National Institution for Transforming India, a policy think tank called the Niti Aayog.
The state planning commission was responsible for preparing the annual plans for the state till 2017, the last year of UP’s 12th five year plan. Amid questions over its continuation, the previous government did not take any decision to scrap the state planning body. A change of government in the 2017 assembly elections brought the issue into focus again and questions resurfaced about the relevance of the state planning commission. An announcement about setting up the Uttar Pradesh State Niti Aayog, replacing the state plan panel gave indications about the obvious shifting of focus from working out annual plans and the five year plans to formulate, evaluate and monitor policies.
“Yes, there is a need for a body for advisory functions and oversee the planning process. A new body should however be set up on the pattern of the NITI Aayog with experts from different and not become a government body that the state planning commission has turned out to be,” said AK Singh, former director Giri Institute of Development Studies, Lucknow.
The state planning commission also works as an apex body for guiding the District Planning Committees set up in every district under the provisions of Article 243 ZD of the Constitution of India. The state government will therefore have to take a call to assign this role to the State Niti Aayog or some other organisation when it gives a final shape to the structure and working of the new body.
