State governments are expected to play a more significant role
Recently, the decades-old Yojana Bhavan wore a new look and feel, and the corridors of the five-storeyed building were painted afresh.
The body occupying the building, the Planning Commission, had been restructured and renamed the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.
Even as the employees of the erstwhile Planning Commission face teething troubles, with no clearly defined function or role, Business Standard takes a look at five key counts on which the new body differs from the Planning Commission of India.
| Parameter | NITI Aayog | Planning Commission |
| Financial clout | To be an advisory body, or a think-tank. The powers to allocate funds might be vested in the finance ministry |
Enjoyed the powers to allocate funds to ministries and state governments |
| Full-time members | The number of full-time members could be fewer than Planning Commission | The last Commission had eight full-time members |
| States' role | State governments are expected to play a more significant role than they did in the Planning Commission | States' role was limited to the National Development Council and annual interaction during Plan meetings |
| Member secretary | To be known at the CEO and to be appointed by the prime minister | Secretaries or member secretaries were appointment through the usual process |
| Part-time members | To have a number of part-time members, depending on the need from time to time | Full Planning Commission had no provision for part-time members |