Modi to hold first meeting of NITI Aayog on February 6

Meeting expected to bring clarity on the status and role of the body

File photo shows the NITI Aayog building, formerly known as the Yojana Bhawan in New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will spell out the functional roadmap of the newly created NITI Aayog at its first meeting being scheduled on February 6, 2015.

The members of the Aayog would have first hand experience of Mr. Modi’s expectation from the new body and also help them in finalising the plan of action of the new body which was formed on January 1.

“The first meeting of the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog is being scheduled on February 6. It is expected to clear the air over the role the new body will play,” a source said.

“After the meeting it will be clear, whether the Aayog will be recognised as government body or merely play the role of an economic think-tank,” the source said.

It is also expected that the meeting will bring more clarity on the role the Aayog will play in evolving model for revenue generation and expenditure realisation.

The source said that the meeting of the Aayog’s governing council comprising all Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors of UTs is being scheduled for February 8.

Mr. Modi, who is the chairman of the Aayog, had held a meeting of all Chief Ministers on December 7, 2014 for seeking their views on the new body which had to replace the erstwhile Planning Commission, at his residence.

The source said the meeting on February 6 will also be a precursor to the governing council meeting as agenda would be set during the deliberations.

The NDA government had announced creation of the Aayog to replace the about 65-year old Planning Commission.

The first vice-chairman of the Aayog, Arvind Panagariya, and fulltime member Bibek Debroy had joined earlier this month. The other fulltime member of body, V.K. Saraswat is expected to join shortly.

The ex-officio members of the Aayog are Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.

The Aayog’s special invitees are Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot and Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani.