MPPSC 2022 Prelims Paper-I · Question 27 of 100

Correct — B, The Prime Minister of India. NITI Aayog's Chairperson is the Prime Minister ex officio, and the Prime Minister also appoints the Vice-Chairperson — in practice a distinguished economist or policy expert given the rank of a Union Cabinet Minister. NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) was itself set up by a Cabinet resolution (1 January 2015) to replace the Planning Commission; unlike a statutory or constitutional body, its appointments run entirely through the Prime Minister's own office.

• (a)The President of India — The President has no role in NITI Aayog's internal appointments — NITI Aayog is a Cabinet-resolution body under the Prime Minister's Council of Ministers, not a Presidential appointment like the CAG or the UPSC Chairman.
• (c)The Vice-President of India — The Vice-President's constitutional role is to chair the Rajya Sabha and stand next-in-line to the President — no function within NITI Aayog.
• (d)Speaker of the Lok Sabha — The Speaker presides over the Lok Sabha; has no appointing power over any NITI Aayog post.

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) replaced the Planning Commission on 1 January 2015 by a Cabinet resolution — a non-statutory, non-constitutional policy think tank, not an executing/fund-allocating body like its predecessor. Its top structure is Prime-Minister-centred: the PM is Chairperson ex officio, and the PM appoints the Vice-Chairperson, the full-time Members, and the CEO (fixed tenure, Secretary-to-Government rank).

The trap is assuming a body with 'Commission'-like lineage must involve the President or a quasi-judicial appointment process, the way the UPSC or the Finance Commission does. NITI Aayog is different — it is entirely an executive, Cabinet-resolution creature, so every key appointment (Vice-Chairperson, CEO, part-time and ex-officio Members) traces back to the Prime Minister, not the President.

• NITI Aayog's Chairperson = Prime Minister of India, ex officio
• Vice-Chairperson is appointed by the Prime Minister
• NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission from 1 January 2015 (Cabinet resolution, not a statute)
• Governing Council = Chief Ministers of all states + Lt. Governors of UTs, chaired by the PM

• Assuming the President appoints NITI Aayog office-bearers, as with constitutional bodies
• Confusing the Vice-Chairperson (PM-appointed policy expert) with the CEO (also PM-appointed, but a civil-service-rank administrator)

MPPSC/UPSC typically ask who chairs NITI Aayog, who appoints the Vice-Chairperson/CEO, or the exact date it replaced the Planning Commission (1 January 2015).

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission with effect from:

  • (a)26 January 2015
  • (b)1 January 2015
  • (c)15 August 2014
  • (d)2 October 2014

  Answer(b) 1 January 2015 — by a Cabinet resolution.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Who serves as the ex officio Chairperson of NITI Aayog?

  • (a)Finance Minister of India
  • (b)Prime Minister of India
  • (c)Vice-Chairperson, NITI Aayog
  • (d)Cabinet Secretary

  Answer(b) Prime Minister of India — NITI Aayog's Chairperson post, like the erstwhile Planning Commission's, is held by the PM ex officio.