Passionate About India

The big question that people have in mind the moment they hear of NITI Aayog is, is this something like Gurugram – just a change in the name with everything else remaining the same? Most people i speak to seem to think so. And that doesn’t sound too exciting, given the amount that needs to be done in the nation. The truth is, the Planning Commission indeed needed changes. Sweeping changes. And the thought was indeed in the right direction by Modi. Having been a member of the consultative committee to the Planning Commission of India briefly, and then interacting with its members, I know first hand the lack of dynamism and focus that was there in the Planning Commission. In any case, the Planning Commission of India had become a pure insult to the word “planning” within a few years of its setting up. The word planning has to necessarily be inclusive of people and the masses as that’s where the centre of focus should be. What we had in India was hardly ever planning. Yes, the idea