NITI Aayog — Set 1

Correct Answer: D. Planning Commission

• **Planning Commission** = NITI Aayog replaced the 65-year-old Planning Commission of India on 1 January 2015. • **1950** — The Planning Commission was established under PM Nehru for centralized five-year planning; NITI Aayog takes a collaborative approach instead. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: National Development Council: advisory body, not replaced by NITI Aayog; Zonal Council: regional coordination body; Finance Commission: constitutional body dealing with fiscal federalism.

Correct Answer: A. Prime Minister of India

• **Prime Minister of India** = The Prime Minister serves as the ex-officio Chairman of NITI Aayog, ensuring top executive leadership guides national policy. • **Cabinet rank** — The Chairman appoints the Vice-Chairperson, who holds Cabinet Minister rank and oversees daily operations. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Vice-President: no role in NITI Aayog chairmanship; Finance Minister: may be ex-officio member, not Chairman; President: constitutional head, not chairman of NITI Aayog.

Correct Answer: D. National Institution for Transforming India

• **National Institution for Transforming India** = NITI stands for National Institution for Transforming India, reflecting its mission to catalyze national development. • **Think Tank** — NITI Aayog is India's premier policy think tank providing strategic and technical advice to the government. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: New Institute for Total Infrastructure: incorrect expansion; National Initiative for Trust and Integrity: incorrect expansion; National Institute for Technology Integration: incorrect expansion.

Correct Answer: A. Executive Body

• **Executive Body** = NITI Aayog is an executive body established through a resolution of the Union Cabinet, not by an Act of Parliament. • **Non-statutory** — Because it is not created by statute, it has no fund-allocation powers unlike the old Planning Commission. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Judicial Body: has no judicial powers; Statutory Body: not created by Parliament; Constitutional Body: not mentioned in the Constitution.

Correct Answer: D. Bottom-up approach

• **Bottom-up approach** = NITI Aayog follows a bottom-up approach, empowering state governments as equal partners in policy making. • **Contrast with Planning Commission** — The old Planning Commission used a top-down centralized command model; NITI Aayog reverses this to reflect local realities. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Top-down approach: used by Planning Commission, not NITI Aayog; Centralized approach: explicitly rejected by NITI Aayog; Command and Control: antithetical to NITI Aayog's cooperative federalism model.

Correct Answer: A. The Prime Minister of India

• **Prime Minister of India** = The Vice-Chairperson of NITI Aayog is appointed directly by the Prime Minister, not through any parliamentary process. • **Cabinet Minister rank** — The Vice-Chairperson holds a rank equivalent to a Cabinet Minister and oversees the functional operations of the institution. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: President of India: appoints constitutional positions, not NITI Aayog VP; Parliamentary Committee: has no role in this appointment; Chief Justice of India: judicial authority, not involved.

Correct Answer: B. Chief Ministers of all States and LGs of Union Territories

• **Chief Ministers of all States and LGs of Union Territories** = The Governing Council includes the PM, Chief Ministers of all states, and Lieutenant Governors of UTs. • **Apex body** — The Governing Council is the apex platform for promoting cooperative federalism and resolving inter-sectoral issues. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: All Union Cabinet Ministers: not the composition of the Governing Council; Leaders of Opposition: not included; Chief Justices of High Courts: judicial officers, not part of this council.

Correct Answer: C. SDG India Index

• **SDG India Index** = NITI Aayog releases the SDG India Index to track state and UT progress on Sustainable Development Goals. • **17 SDGs** — The index ranks states on social, economic, and environmental parameters across all 17 global goals, fostering healthy inter-state competition. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Corruption Perception Index: released by Transparency International; Global Hunger Index: released by international agencies; Human Development Index: released by UNDP.

Correct Answer: A. Maximum of four

• **Maximum of four** = NITI Aayog can have a maximum of four ex-officio members from the Union Council of Ministers, nominated by the PM. • **Coordination role** — These ex-officio members ensure that major central ministries are aligned with the Aayog's policy frameworks. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Maximum of five: incorrect number; Maximum of two: incorrect number; Maximum of three: incorrect number.

Correct Answer: C. Secretary to the Government of India

• **Secretary to the Government of India** = The CEO of NITI Aayog holds the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, appointed by the PM for a fixed tenure. • **Administrative head** — The CEO manages the secretariat's administrative and executive functions, central to the think tank's daily operations. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Minister of State: political position, not the CEO's rank; Cabinet Minister: that is the Vice-Chairperson's equivalent rank; Judge of the Supreme Court: judicial rank, unrelated.