Ministries, NITI Aayog and Schemes

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India):

• Set up by a Cabinet resolution of 1 January 2015, replacing the Planning Commission. It is neither constitutional nor statutory.
• Chairperson: the Prime Minister. A Vice-Chairperson and a Chief Executive Officer are appointed by the Prime Minister. Up to four Union Ministers are ex officio members, nominated by the Prime Minister.
• Governing Council: the Prime Minister (chair), the Chief Ministers of all States and of Union Territories with a legislature, and the Lieutenant Governors of the other Union Territories.
• Its jobs: give strategic and directional input to development, act as a think tank, monitor and evaluate programmes, and offer a platform to settle inter-sectoral and inter-departmental issues.
• It does not settle disputes between States: that is for the Inter-State Council (Article 263).

The ministries:

• Ministry of Home Affairs: Departments of Internal Security, States, Home, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs, Border Management and Official Language. The National Disaster Management Authority also works under it.
• Ministry of Finance: Departments of Economic Affairs (advice on the economy, including foreign exchange management), Expenditure, Revenue, Investment and Public Asset Management, Financial Services and, since July 2021, Public Enterprises. The Controller General of Accounts (under Expenditure) runs the Public Financial Management System.
• Until July 2021 the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises had two departments, Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises. Public Enterprises then moved to Finance and the ministry became the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
• Ministry of Law and Justice: the Department of Legal Affairs.
• Cabinet Secretariat: the National Authority, Chemical Weapons Convention.

The institutions:

• Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (IAS): Mussoorie.
• National Academy of Audit and Accounts (Indian Audit and Accounts Service): Shimla.
• National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics: new campus at Palasamudram, Andhra Pradesh.
• All India Institute of Local Self Government: Mumbai.
• National Water Academy: Khadakwasla, Pune, under the Central Water Commission; trains in-service engineers in water resources.
• National Centre for Good Governance (2014): under the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (Ministry of Personnel). It took in the National Institute of Administrative Research of the Mussoorie academy, and its Governing Body is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.
• Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India: the implementing agency of the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana; a registered society.
• National Recruitment Agency: approved in 2020 to hold a Common Eligibility Test for Group B and Group C (non-gazetted) posts.

The schemes:

• MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme): an MP recommends works; the district authority sanctions, executes and completes them. It is fully funded by the Centre, Rs 5 crore per MP a year. Nominated MPs may recommend works anywhere in India.
• Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana: launched on 11 October 2014, Jayaprakash Narayan's birth anniversary; inspired by Gandhi's Gram Swaraj; run by the Ministry of Rural Development. Each MP adopts and develops a village.
• DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana, National Rural Livelihoods Mission): creates income for rural women through self-help groups.
• Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme: a part of DAY-NRLM that helps rural people, self-help group members among them, start small businesses.
• Skill Training of Rural Youth: trains rural youth in agriculture and allied subjects.