 "Niti Aayog, Niti Aayog CEO")
The Aayog was last reconstituted in 2021, and was modified in 2022. (Photo: https://www.niti.gov.in/)
In what is seen as a symbolic move for National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies, the central government has reconstituted its apex think tank, NITI Aayog, and accommodated them in the core policy planning body of the government.
According to a notification issued late on Wednesday night, the Union cabinet has replaced Narendra Singh Tomar, former Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, with former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the ex-officio members list. Chouhan, who was handed the ministry after the recent Lok Sabha elections, is also the Minister of Rural Development.
The Centre has also dropped Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, Electronics and Information Technology, and Information and Broadcasting, from the special invitees list, along with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
The Aayog was last reconstituted in 2021 and was modified in 2022 to accommodate former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Virmani.
The list of special invitees this time has grown from five in 2021 to 11 now. Special invitees are also privy to deliberations on key policy matters in the central think tank.
The list includes Telugu Desam Party’s representative in the Union cabinet, Ram Mohan Naidu, who is the Civil Aviation Minister. Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is currently the Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel, is also a special invitee.
Others inducted into NITI Aayog include Hindustani Awam Morcha leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Janata Dal United leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan, and BJP President JP Nadda.
All these leaders are in the Union cabinet. Jual Oram, BJP leader from Odisha who returned as the Tribal Affairs Minister in 2024, has also been included.
The core composition of the Aayog remains the same, with economist Suman Bery as the Vice Chairman, former Commerce Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam as the Chief Executive Officer, and VK Paul, VK Saraswat, Virmani, and Ramesh Chand as members.
The government’s think tank is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and includes the finance minister, defence minister, and home minister as ex-officio members.
First Published: Jul 17 2024 | 8:17 AM IST
