NITI Aayog to be headed by PM, will have 13 objectives

New Delhi, Jan 1: The NITI Aayog, the new name of the Planning Commission, will have the prime minister as chairperson while the governing council will comprise chief ministers and lt governors of the union territories. A list of 13 objectives has been drawn up. According to an official statement, "regional councils will be formed to address specific issues and contingencies impacting more than one state or a region. These will be formed for a specified tenure. "The regional councils will be convened by the prime minister and will comprise of the chief ministers of states and lt. governors of union territories in the region. These will be chaired by the chairperson of the NITI Aayog or his nominee," the statement said. NITI is an acronym for National Institution for Transforming India. They will also comprise "experts, specialists and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge as special invitees nominated by the prime minister". The full-time organizational framework will comprise of, in addition to the prime minister as the chairperson, a vice chairperson (to be appointed by the prime minister) and an unspecified number of full-time members. Of the part time members, there would be a maximum of two from leading universities, research organizations and other relevant institutions in an ex-officio capacity. The part time members will be on a rotational basis. A maximum of four members of the union council of ministers to be nominated by the Prime minister will be ex-officio members. A chief executive officer will be appointed by the prime minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank of secretary in the central government, while there will be a secretariat as deemed necessary.