Niti Aayog

Ashok Lahiri, S Mahendra Dev call for a shift in farming approach

NITI Aayog's Ashok Lahiri and EAC-PM Chairman S Mahendra Dev call for shifting agriculture towards value addition, rural non-farm jobs and higher farmer incomes

Best of BS Opinion: State reforms key to improve India's investment climate

From state-level investment reforms and food safety enforcement to next-generation FTAs, corporate living wills and a Tibetan memoir, here are today's top BS Opinion pieces

Centre names Anurag Jain as new NITI Aayog chief executive officer

The 1989-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre succeeds Nidhi Chibber, who was holding additional charge after B V R Subrahmanyam's exit

Improving investment climate: Reforms at the state level can drive growth

NITI Aayog's investment index highlights wide disparities among states, underscoring the need for governance reforms, stronger institutions and balanced regional growth

NITI Aayog's investment index: What separates top states from the rest?

NITI Aayog's first Investment Friendliness Index ranks states on investment readiness and highlights why some attract more private capital while others continue to lag

NITI to review industrial corridor framework to speed project execution

The government has launched a review of the institutional and implementation framework governing industrial corridors, industrial parks and integrated manufacturing ecosystems, seeking to identify bottlenecks and recommend reforms to accelerate project delivery and improve investor experience. As part of the exercise, NITI Aayog will this week hold a stakeholder consultation to gather recommendations on policy, regulatory, institutional and implementation changes needed to strengthen India's industrial competitiveness and support its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, sources said. The review is being undertaken under the guidance of the High-Level Committee on Implementation of Viksit Bharat Goals (HLC-VB), chaired by NITI Aayog member Rajiv Gauba, which was constituted by the government to monitor key development programmes and infrastructure projects and recommend measures to speed up implementation. The consultation will focus on five broad areas: project planning and

Odisha ranks 5th among states in NITI Aayog's Investment Friendliness Index

Odisha has been ranked fifth among states in NITI Aayog's recent Investment Friendliness Index, which Chief Minister Mohan Charan Maji termed a reflection of his government's commitment to transparent governance, industry-friendly policies and efficient service delivery. With an overall score of 52.4, the state is placed next to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Goa in the "top performers" category. According to an official statement, the NITI Aayog report identifies these five states as leaders in fostering a conducive investment environment. The Investment Friendliness Index (IFI) is India's first comprehensive, evidence-based framework for evaluating the investment ecosystem of all states and Union territories. It assesses performance across eight critical pillars -- infrastructure, business climate, resources, government policy, regulatory ease, institutional environment, financial health and environmental resilience -- to benchmark states and promote competitive and ...

Gujarat tops the NITI Aayog's 1st investment friendliness index for states

The first Investment Friendliness Index assesses 36 states and Union Territories across 84 indicators, with no state crossing the 60-mark despite five qualifying as top performers

Why India's cities need stronger municipal governance and funding

Fragmented authority, weak municipal finances and limited devolution continue to hamper service delivery, prompting fresh calls to strengthen city governments across India

The learning curve: Interventions must move beyond expanding school access

UDISE+ shows gains in enrolment and retention, but weak learning outcomes and the shift from government to private schools underline the need to prioritise education quality

Can urban mining reduce India's dependence on overseas critical minerals?

As India pushes to recover critical minerals from waste, experts say recycling can strengthen supply security. But can it cut reliance on imports and overseas mining?

MCQ-based entrance exams test intelligence in less time: NITI Aayog member

NITI Aayog member Gobardhan Das on Sunday backed the multiple-choice questions for entrance exams even for universities such as JNU, emphasising that the format is a fair test of their intelligence. The comments from Das, a renonwed academic, came amid criticism of Common University Entrance Test (CUET) since its rollout in 2022, with several teachers' groups contending that the MCQ-based test has reduced the emphasis on analytical and descriptive skills. "Multiple-choice questions format for entrance exams is not ill-suited for universities such as Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as universities need to test your intelligence, not (what you have mugged up)... if you cannot connect 2-3 things, you really cannot answer the questions." "MCQ is always preferred (in university entrance examination), as in less time you can assess many aspects (of candidates)," he told PTI, adding that the CUET is an innovative idea. Last month, a parliamentary committee flagged concerns over the CUET

NITI Aayog plans policy to recover critical minerals from mine waste

A technical committee is examining royalty, incentives and commercial viability for extracting critical minerals from mining waste before submitting policy recommendations to the government

NITI seeks visa-on-arrival, end to state entry taxes to boost tourism

Policy think tank says regulatory hurdles, not demand, are holding back tourism; proposes easier visas, GST refunds for foreign tourists and seamless interstate travel

Present service updates at Gram Sabhas: Panchayati Raj Ministry to depts

A ministry report recommends that state line departments present service delivery updates and scheme status at Gram Sabhas to improve participation, transparency and public trust

NITI Aayog proposes 'model pharma chapter' for future FTA negotiations

Think tank flags non-tariff barriers as a bigger hurdle than duties for $35.8 bn drug exports

Only 3% of end-of-life vehicles scrapped in three years: NITI Aayog

Just 350,000 of India's estimated 12 million end-of-life vehicles were scrapped through authorised channels between August 2022 and July 2025, highlighting gaps in the scrappage ecosystem

Govt needs to revive NITI's PSU, PSB privatisation program: Panagariya

The government needs to resuscitate privatisation of public sector undertakings (PSUs) as well as public sector banks (PSBs) as it is integral to India's economic reforms, former NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya said on Monday. Panagariya also advocated creating an independent privatisation ministry to accelerate the government's disinvestment agenda, as the Department of Disinvestment has been unable to maintain the pace of privatisation. "I firmly believe that, regardless of fiscal pressures, the privatisation of PSUs and most public sector banks is integral to our economic reforms," he told PTI in an interview. Panagariya said aggressive PSU and bank privatisation should proceed regardless of the West Asia crisis and geopolitical uncertainties. "Modernisation of the economy as a part of our India@2047 movement, we need to resuscitate the PSU and PSB privatisation," he said. Under Panagariya, the then NITI Aayog vice chairman, the government think tank had pursued the

Agri-tech startups must move beyond basic problem-solving: NITI official

NITI Aayog's Himanshu Joshi said Indian agri- and water-tech startups should adopt technologies for new markets and move beyond basic problem-solving to tackle regulatory challenges

Fiscal index topper Odisha charts Viksit Bharat growth path at NITI meet

CM Mohan Charan Majhi said Odisha recorded 7.9 per cent growth in FY26 while maintaining fiscal discipline and accelerating investments in infrastructure, human development and industry