Niti Aayog chief to address states’ concerns in day-long meet

Amid concern from different states over their future dealings with the Niti Aayog, its chief Arvind Panagariya will appear before a parliamentary panel to elaborate on the functioning of the newly-created body.

Amid concern from different states over their future dealings with the Niti Aayog, its chief Arvind Panagariya will appear before a parliamentary panel to elaborate on the functioning of the newly-created body.

The meeting with the parliamentary standing committee on finance is slated for February 12 — close on the heels of the first meeting of the Aayog’s governing council on Sunday.

The formation of the Niti Aayog, which replaced the erstwhile Planning Commission, had already evoked sharp response from political opponents of the NDA. Congress chief ministers has, on Sunday, alleged a lack of clarity on the mechanism the Niti Aayog would adopt to devolve funds and assess development needs of states.

“We are concerned about how far the states will benefit from the Niti Aayog. Panagariya may also need to elaborately brief us about the functioning of the Aayog,” said an Opposition member of the panel.

Incidentally, the parliamentary panel includes former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had earlier been the deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission.

The meeting also assumes significance as an elaborate debate on the functioning of the Niti Aayog is also expected during the budget session in Parliament.