Is the NITI Aayog going beyond its brief and shooting from the hip?

The institution has been courting controversy with pronouncements on issues ranging from demonetisation to devolution of taxes

In the run-up to the Global Mobility Summit last week, organised by the Niti Aayog, its officials were concerned that some central ministers and state ministers would give the event a miss. In order to forestall such an eventuality, the Aayog rung up the Prime Ministers’ Office to ensure their presence. It helped.

Niti Aayog has, of late, been getting into the hair of some of the departments of the BJP government, regulators and even some of other supporting cast of institutions. Ergo, the calls to the PMO. (See Box: Lip (dis)service) The latest of those episodes came in early September,