Minister for finance Suresh Khanna had made the announcement in the state’s annual budget for 2020-21 State Niti Aayog yet to become a reality

LUCKNOW: The state government appears to have forgotten the announcement it made more than a year ago about setting up a State Niti Aayog for formulation, evaluation and monitoring the implementation of policies in Uttar Pradesh.

Minister for finance Suresh Khanna had made the announcement in the state’s annual budget for 2020-21 presented in the state assembly in February 2020. The State Niti Aayog is, however, yet to become a reality.

Senior officers of the state planning department remained tight-lipped on the issue. Others, however, asserted that the process to set up the state’s policy think- tank in accordance with the announcement had been initiated though giving a shape to the new body may take some time.

“We have held preliminary discussions and will take further action as and when the modalities and the likely organisation structure of the proposed State Niti Aayog is finalised,” said a senior officer of the state planning department.

Usually, the budgetary announcements are implemented in the same financial year and 2020-21 ended on March 31, 2021. The state government may have to expedite action at every stage to make the State Niti Aayog a reality in the near future.

“If the state government made any announcement about setting up of a State Niti Aayog to replace the state planning commission, it should have taken early action.

The old institution is yet to be scrapped and the new one has not been given shape. Any delay may affect the planning process,” said Yashvir Tyagi, former professor at department of economics, Lucknow University.

Uttar Pradesh State Niti Aayog was expected to replace the state planning commission set up nearly 50 years ago. The state planning commission lost its relevance after January 1, 2015 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to do away with the Planning Commission of India and set up the National Institution for Transforming India, a policy think-tank called the Niti Aayog.

The state planning commission was responsible for preparing the annual plans for the state till 2017, the last year of UP’s 12th five-year plan.

Amid questions over its continuation, the previous government did not take any decision to scrap the state planning body. A change of government in the 2017 assembly elections brought the issue into focus again and questions resurfaced about relevance of the state planning commission.

An announcement about setting up the Uttar Pradesh State Niti Aayog, replacing the state plan panel gave indications about the obvious shifting of focus from working out annual plans and the five-year plans to formulating, evaluating and monitoring of policies.

“Yes, there is a need for a body for advisory functions and oversee the planning process. The new body should, however, be set up on the pattern of the Niti Aayog with experts from different (fields) and not become a government body that the state planning commission has turned out to be,” said AK Singh former director of Giri Institute of Development Studies, Lucknow.

The state planning commission also works as an apex body for guiding the district planning committees set up in every district under the provisions of Article 243 ZD of the Constitution of India.

The state government will, therefore, have to take a call to assign this role to the State Niti Aayog or some other organization when it gives final shape to the structure and working of the new body.

Yes, there is a need for a body for advisory functions and oversee the planning process. The new body should, however, be set up on the pattern of the Niti Aayog with experts from different fields and not become a government body that the state planning commission has turned out to be.

AK SINGH, former director of Giri Institute of Development Studies