Page 2 - Niti Aayog

Gujarat announces formation of 'GRIT', NITI Aayog-like think tank

The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced the formation of Gujarat State Institution for Transformation or 'GRIT', a think tank modelled on the NITI Aayog to help realise the vision of 'Viksit' or developed state by 2047. GRIT has crafted a vision document and roadmap for 'Viksit Gujarat @ 2047', stated an official release here. The Chief Minister will head the governing body of GRIT with the Finance Minister as vice-chairman and the ministers of agriculture, health, education and industry serving as members, it said. "Following the model of NITI Aayog, the 'GRIT' has been established, chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel," the release said. Among other things, it will review the implementation of recommendations from its task force committee for achieving the target of becoming a five-trillion-dollar economy, it said. The ten-member executive committee of GRIT, headed by its CEO, will handle its day-to-day operations. Its governing body will include the chief advisor to

NITI Aayog invites EoI for undertaking research on India Innovation Index

Government think tank Niti Aayog has invited expressions of interest (EoI) for undertaking research on India Innovation Index. The index is envisaged to encourage states/UTs to examine and improve their innovation environment and performance, which could further lead to improvement in India's overall innovation performance. It is designed as a holistic tool which can be used by policymakers across the country to identify the challenges to be addressed and the strengths to leverage when designing the economic growth policies for their regions. The India Innovation Index is calculated as the average of the scores of factors under 'Enablers' and 'Performance'. Enablers are the factors that underpin innovative capacities, grouped in five pillars -- human capital, investment, knowledge workers, business environment, and safety and legal environment. The Performance captures benefits that a nation derives from the inputs, divided in two pillars -- knowledge output and knowledge ...

Eye on FDI, Centre to ask state govts for investment-friendly reforms

The Centre is currently engaging with various countries to boost FDI inflows, which dropped to $26.5 billion in FY24 from $42 billion in FY23

Senior care market grows in 'out of hospital' services in Tier-II cities

According to a recent NITI Aayog report on state of senior care in India released in February 2024, size of senior care industry in India is about $7 billion, having grown rapidly in last five years

NITI Aayog report sets target of doubling Mumbai's GDP in five years

A report prepared by the NITI Aayog on the development of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) aims to double the region's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the next five years, and make Mumbai and its satellite towns a global economic hub. At present the region's GDP is Rs 12 lakh crore (USD 140 billion) and it should reach Rs 26 lakh crore (USD 300 billion) by 2030, the report submitted to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde by NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said. While there are one crore employment opportunities in the MMR at present, there is a need to create 30 lakh more opportunities, the report said. Chief minister Shinde said infrastructure and communication facilities are the foundation for the state's development, and work was underway in that direction. The report said the Maharashtra government needed to focus on seven sectors: Developing Mumbai into a global services hub, facilitating affordable housing, transforming MMR into global tourism centre, integrated development of .

Step up surveillance for quicker viral infection mpox detection: Centre

Earlier on Saturday, a meeting was chaired by Health Minister J P Nadda with senior officials from the health ministry to evaluate the Mpox situation and the country's preparedness

Niti Aayog calls for guidelines, e-KYC to check PMMY applicants background

The government think tank NITI Aayog has pitched for a set of guidelines for assessing the creditworthiness and background verification for those availing loans under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY). The Aayog in a report titled 'Impact Assessment of PMMY' suggested encouraging E-KYC authentication for loan underwriting. This will enhance the effectiveness of assessment checks. "A set of guidelines for assessing the creditworthiness and background verification must be enlisted to provide a security net to the banks, considering the loans are collateral free and a proper risk check and assessment has a critical role to play in the sustainability of results and success of the scheme," it said in the report posted on its website. The majority of borrowers under PMMY are small entrepreneurs who have very limited documents and this makes it difficult for the banks to run verification checks as it requires more staffing and employees. The Aayog also suggested that a proper reward

Niti Aayog seeks proposals to evaluate centrally sponsored schemes

Government think tank Niti Aayog has invited proposals for evaluation of centrally sponsored schemes across nine crucial sectors, including health, agriculture and education. According to the Aayog, each sector will require a separate application through the GeM portal. The 9 CSS packages include agriculture and allied sector, women and child development, education and rural development, among others. Centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) are implemented by the state governments but sponsored by the central government with a defined shareholding. These schemes are aimed at supplementing efforts undertaken by the state government because the Centre has more resources at its disposal. These schemes can either be national or regional in character. In CSS, the funding by the central government works as an initiation, with further spending coming from states towards the cause. The deadline for receiving the request for proposal (RFP) is August 30, 2024.

Niti Aayog working to deepen corporate bond markets, says annual report

Niti Aayog is working on proposals to deepen the corporate bond markets to achieve an alternative to bank finance for borrowers, the government think tank said in its Annual Report 2023-24. The corporate bond market, seen as an alternative to bank finance for borrowers, helps companies to raise long-term funds at competitive costs. "The vertical is in the process of developing a holistic research buttressed with key policy recommendations to deepen the corporate bond markets to achieve an alternative to bank finance for borrowers," it said. The report said corporate bond markets are an efficient cost-minimisation process for long-term funding and contribute significantly to financial stability. "It is a mechanism for supporting the bank for long-term lending against relatively shorter-tenor liabilities and helping the insurance companies and pension fund holders to diversify their portfolios while spreading or distributing the risks and managing the liquidity gap," it added. The .

Vision India 2047: Revolutionising the civil service for a new era

As India grapples with its unique set of issues and embarks on its journey to become a developed country, comprehensive reforms in the civil service are increasingly imperative

Congress slams NITI Aayog over shutdown of farm weather advisory offices

The Congress on Saturday alleged that 199 district agro-meteoreological units, which provided farmers at the block-level free-of-cost weather advisory services, were shut down as the NITI Aayog "misrepresented" their role to justify the decision. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which claimed that the farm weather advisory offices were shut in March this year as the NITI Aayog "misrepresented" their role and sought privatisation. "The India Meteorological Department shut down 199 district agro-meteoreological units (DAMUs). These agromet units provided all farmers at the block-level free-of-cost weather advisory services, and crucial information related to sowing, use of fertilisers, harvesting and storing crops," he said. Experts suggest that while the budget outlay for these units every year was around Rs 45 crore, the benefit was around Rs 15,000 crore, Ramesh pointed out. The shutdown was opposed by Union Minister Niti

Agriculture key focus area of development strategy in India: NITI member

Agriculture has been a key focus area of development strategy in India, and the country has achieved the highest growth rate of 5 per cent in the farm sector during the seven years from 2016-17 to 2022-23, Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said on Saturday. Addressing the 32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE), Chand said that according to the World Bank data, India achieved the highest growth rate in GDP agriculture in the world in the last 10 years. "Agriculture has been a key focus area of development strategy in India, and the country has achieved historically the highest growth rate of 5 per cent during the seven-year period from 2016-17 to 2022-23," he noted. The agriculture economist pointed out that the share of agriculture in the world GDP has risen from 3.2 per cent in 2006 to 4.3 per cent in recent years. "Agricultural growth in the last 15 years has saved many countries from economic collapse. Due to the poor effort of industry in pulling the labou

Waiting for takeoff

India needs a clear road map for development

India should grow at 7-10% for 20-30 yrs to avoid middle income trap: NITI

PM Modi said emphasis on skill, research, innovation and job based knowledge necessary for making 'Viksit Bharat'

Need to become a $30 trn economy with $18,000 per capita income: NITI paper

India needs to strive to be a USD 30 trillion economy with a per capita income of USD 18,000 per annum by 2047, the approach paper for vision for Vikshit Bharat in 2047 has said. NITI Aayog in a paper titled 'Vision for Viksit Bharat @ 2047:An Approach Paper' said India needs to avoid the Middle-Income trap and carefully work towards breaking out of it. "As for the economy, to become a developed nation, we need to strive to be a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047 with a per capita income of USD 18,000 per annum. "The GDP would have to grow nine times from today's USD 3.36 trillion and the per capita income would need to rise 8 times from today's USD 2,392 per annum," it said. The paper also noted that progressing from a middle-income to a high-income level requires sustained growth in the range of 7-10 per cent for 20-30 years and very few countries have managed to do this. Defining the concept of Vikshit Bharat, the paper said it is a Bharat which will have all the attributes of a ..

PM Modi urges states to attract FDI, suggests 'investor-friendly charter'

Investor friendly charter, zero poverty and demographic management plans highlights of NITI Aayog meet

Treatment of West Bengal CM at NITI Aayog meet unacceptable: Cong

The Congress on Saturday said the treatment meted out to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a NITI Aayog meeting here was "unacceptable". The opposition party's scathing criticism of the government think tank came after Banerjee walked out of the 9th Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog, claiming she was unfairly stopped midway through her speech. The government rejected Banerjee's charges, saying the time allotted to her for speaking at the meeting was over. The Congress alleged the Niti Aayog has functioned as a "drumbeater" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was chairing the meeting, since it was set up 10 years ago. The meeting was boycotted by Congress party chief ministers over alleged discrimination against non-NDA-ruled states in the Union Budget. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Since it was established ten years ago, NITI Aayog has been an attached office of the PMO and has functioned as a drumbeater for the ...

Not national issue: Puri on CM Banerjee's allegation at NITI Aayog meeting

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday played down West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegation that her mike was turned off when she was speaking at the NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi, stating that it was "not a national issue." Puri was speaking at a press conference here on the Union Budget, organised by the Gujarat BJP. Banerjee walked out of the NITI Aayog meeting claiming that her mike was muted five minutes after she started speaking. She claimed that other chief ministers were allowed to speak much longer. "I was not inside, and don't know how much time was given (for her to speak)," the Union minister told reporters when asked about the row. "But it is also said in Parliament that the mike has been turned off. It so happens that the mike is turned on when speaking. I do not know much about it. I have no idea how long she spoke. But I am certain that this is not a national issue, whether you spoke for 15 minutes or 18 minutes," he said.

NITI Aayog meet: Chhattisgarh CM Sai pitches for skill-based education, AI

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday pitched for promoting skill-based education, natural dispensaries and artificial intelligence in his state, as he committed his state's full support in achieving the goal of making India a developed country by 2047. Speaking here at the Governing Council meeting of the Niti Aayog, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sai listed various priorities and efforts being made for Chhattisgarh's development with an emphasis on education, human resource development, health and technological advancement. He said Chhattisgarh will play a pivotal role in "Developed India by 2047". At present, the state's GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) is Rs 5.05 lakh crore, which is targeted to be increased to Rs 10 lakh crore in the next five years, and the state has started work on possibilities of improvements and achieving goals in various fields, Sai said. Emphasising the role of youngsters in the development of the state, the chief minister

D Raja justifies INDIA bloc CMs boycotting NITI Aayog meet, blames Centre

CPI general secretary D Raja Saturday justified the decision of several chief ministers to boycott the Governing Council meetings of the NITI Aayog, claiming that certain actions of the Centre are behind their move. Taxes and funds were not being shared properly by the central government, Raja alleged. "The CMs who are boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting have certain issues. There are very genuine issues. The Central government's actions were responsible for it," Raja told reporters here. Chief ministers of the INDIA bloc -- Stalin (DMK), Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan (CPI-M), Punjab's Bhagwant Mann (Aam Aadmi Party), Congress's Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh) and Revanth Reddy (Telangana), and Jharkhand's Hemant Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) -- skipped the NITI Aayog meeting. Stating that the Constitution defines India (Bharat), as a union of states, Raja said: "It means the union government should treat all the state governments equally and there ..