For State Of The Nation, Look At States Of The Nation

Niti Aayog's new chief says it will help states learn from each other & help them in raising resources

- Parameswaran lyer

In his address to the nation on its 76th Independence Day, PM Modi set the tone for a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047 through the maxim, 'When the states grow India grows.' And Niti Aayog, with its mandate to actualise cooperative federalism, is the proactive Gol platform for bringing states together to work towards this national development agenda. This collaborative approach was endorsed in August by Niti Aayog's governing council, which in turn was building on the first of its kind chief secretaries' conference in June. The latter meeting reaffirmed the need for combined Centre-state efforts to realise national and state/UT priorities.

Learning from best practices

States have varying capacities in driving transformational and inclusive growth. The scale of such transformation envisaged under Vision 2047 requires strong and agile institutions, which should also take the lead in designing a state's overall development strategy, setting sectoral targets and bringing together technology, enterprise and efficient management for policy formulation and implementation. Niti Aayog can act as a medium for states to learn from each other through sharing of their best practices.