NITI Aayog will undertake the mid-term appraisal of the ongoing (2012-17) Five-Year Plan, Parliament was informed today.
In the first meeting of the Governing Council of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog in February, it was decided that the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-2017) would continue, Minister of State for Planning Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
"NITI Aayog would suitably undertake its Mid-Term Appraisal so that a shared vision of national development agenda and important national initiatives are incorporated for their effective implementation in the remaining two years of the Plan," he said.
He said setting up NITI Aayog (in place of Planning Commission) provides for a suitable Secretariat of Aayog for providing assistance in discharging its functions.
"The Secretariat of NITI Aayog is in the process of being set up. During this transition period, NITI Aayog has been declared by the government as successor in interest of the erstwhile Planning Commission," he said.
The officers and employees holding office under the erstwhile Planning Commission immediately before the date of constitution of the NITI Aayog shall continue to hold office in NITI Aayog by the same tenure and upon the same terms and conditions of service; and continue as such until further order, he added.
He was replying to a question on new posts created by the Aayog and positions of the Planning Commission which were scrapped or removed.
The Standing Committee on Finance of 15th Lok Sabha had said that planning was relevant for India, but Planning Commission had to come to grips with emerging social realities to reinvent itself, to make itself more relevant and effective for aligning planning process with economic reforms and its consequences, particularly for poor.
Keeping with these changing times, government has decided to set up NITI Aayog with special emphasis on strengthening cooperative federalism in India so that centre and state, as a team can work for ensuring rapid economic transformation of India, Singh said.