E-Paper
Process for setting up State Niti Aayog may be speeded up soon in UP
Moves are afoot to set up the Uttar Pradesh State Niti Aayog, in line with the announcement made in the state budget for 2020-2021, but giving shape to the new policy
Moves are afoot to set up the Uttar Pradesh State Niti Aayog, in line with the announcement made in the state budget for 2020-2021, but giving shape to the new policy formulation body may take some time due to the focus on Covid-19 these days.
Minister for finance Suresh Khanna had made an announcement about setting up the State Niti Ayog in the budget he presented on February 18, 2020.
“We have moved ahead with the process to set up the aayog and held discussions at various levels on the issue. However, working out on a draft for its organisational structure may take some time,” said a senior officer.
If all goes well, measures to set up the aayog will be expedited in the coming weeks, he said.
“Budgetary announcements are implemented in the same financial year and we hope to do so in 2020-2021 also,” said the officer, adding that the state government’s focus up to now has been on measures to check the spread of Covid-19 but the process to set up the Niti Aayog has been initiated now.
The State Niti Aayog will replace the 48-year old Uttar Pradesh State Planning Commission. The commission lost its relevance when it stopped preparing the five-year plans after the union government scrapped the Planning Commission of India on January 1, 2015.
The National Institution for Transforming India, referred to as NITI Aayog, replaced the Planning Commission of India as a policy think tank.
The state planning commission continued to prepare the annual plans till 2017, the last year of the 12th five-year plan, but questions remained on its continuation. Change of government in 2017 gave some credence to speculations about the fate of the State Planning Commission.
Announcement to set up the State Niti Aayog, replacing the State Planning Commission, hinted at an obvious shifting of focus from formulation of annual and five-year plans to formulation, evaluation and monitoring of policies.
The State Planning Commission also works as a guide for district planning committees set up in every district under the provisions of Article 243 ZD of the Constitution of India.
So, the state government will have to take a call to assign this role to the State Niti Aayog, when set up, or some other organisation.
The State Planning Commission was set up under the chairmanship of the then chief minister in 1972 to assess the state’s physical, financial and manpower resources, draft annual and five-year plans and also to ensure conformity of the Uttar Pradesh’s plans with national plans.
The state planning commission continued to prepare the annual plans till 2017, the last year of the 12th five-year plan, but questions remained on its continuation.
