Keeping a low profile

The Planning Commission had long been a repository of information for research scholars, academicians and everyone else seeking vital economic data. However, if one goes by the signals emanating from the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, information flow could be severely hampered. Insiders say that top officials are not keen on making a big media splash even when the first vice-chairman of NITI Aayog, Indian-American economist Arvind Panagariya, takes charge and plans to keep the affair low-key. The whole thing, we are told, is being handled directly by the Prime Minister's Office, which will decide the protocol for the related events, a senior official says.