PlanMin allocation cut 86% for financial year 2017

The ministry of planning, of which NITI Aayog is a part, has had a big cut in its budgetary allocation for 2016-17 of 86 per cent. This is mainly due to closure of several attached offices of the erstwhile Planning Commission and relocation of some.

The ministry’s budget has been slashed from Rs 2,041 crore in the revised estimates for 2015-16 to Rs 293 crore.  NITI Aayog’s secretariat has been allocated Rs 81.1 crore, from non-plan expenditure, largely relating to salaries and pensions. The new Atal Innovation Mission gets an allocation of around Rs 150 crore for 2016-17

The total staff of the ministry has been estimated at 1,185 at the end of March 2017, indicating the reshuffle in the Aayog might not have been taken into consideration.

The ministry's total salaries and pensions bill has dropped from Rs 104.3 crore in the revised estimate for 2015-16 to Rs 88.9 crore in the estimate for 2016-17. This includes allowances and travel expenditure.