Niti Ayog Where Is The Transformation?

NITI Ayog has lost track of its mandate and is wandering in the wilderness. Global summits and taking agenda briefs from multinationals cannot deliver this transformation.

- MG Devasahayam

AT The Economic Times’s Global Business Summit in mid-January 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly laid out his Transformation Agenda. After presenting a provocative poser—“India is a $2-trillion economy today. Can we not dream of an India with a $20-trillion economy?”—he unveiled his ‘doctrine of development’ in lucid terms: “The government must nurture an ecosystem where the economy is primed for growth; and growth promotes all-round development.

Where development is employment generating; and employment is enabled by skills. Where skills are synced with production; and production is benchmarked to quality. Where quality meets global standards; and meeting global standards drives prosperity. Most importantly, this prosperity is for the welfare of all.” With such seamless segueing, India will be transformed from a poor/low-income to a high-income/rich nation and poverty will stand eliminated.

There are two key words—‘growth’ and ‘development’. Growth refers to increased quantities of specific phenomena, such as jobs, population, and income. It also could be used to refer to changes in quality, such as better jobs or more secure sources of income. Lopsided growth could lead to poverty and inequality. Development involves equitable change in the community, especially in how resources are used, the functioning of institutions, and the distribution of resources in the community. Balanced development could lead to prosperity and equity. The philosophy behind Modi’s Transformation Agenda is a judicious blend of ‘growth’ and ‘development’, which are often mixed-up with each other.