Q.Explain the composition of NITI Aayog.

NITI Aayog's composition centres on the Prime Minister as Chairperson and a Governing Council of Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors.

NITI Aayog's institutional structure was deliberately designed to give states a direct, ongoing role in national policy-making, unlike the more centrally appointed structure of the Planning Commission it replaced.

At the apex is the Chairperson, a role held ex-officio by the Prime Minister of India. Below the Chairperson is the Vice-Chairperson, appointed by the Prime Minister, usually a senior economist or policy expert, who heads NITI Aayog's day-to-day functioning. The most distinctive feature of the structure is the Governing Council, comprising the Chief Ministers of all Indian states and the Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories -- this body meets periodically to discuss and shape national development priorities, giving every state government a direct voice. For issues that concern more than one state or a specific region, Regional Councils are constituted, comprising the Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors of the states/UTs in that region, convened by the Prime Minister or a nominee as needed. …

Students often forget the Governing Council entirely, or wrongly think NITI Aayog has a Deputy Chairman like the Planning Commission; the correct designation is Vice-Chairperson, and the Governing Council of …