Non-Constitutional Bodies: NITI Aayog

Nature: NITI Aayog was established via a Cabinet Resolution on January 1, 2015. It replaced the Planning Commission. It is a premier Policy Think Tank of the Government of India.
Type: It is an extra-constitutional, non-statutory, and advisory body.

The key objectives of establishing NITI Aayog were to:

Advisory Role: Work as an advisory body to give directional and strategic inputs to the Union Government and also State Governments on request.
Cooperative Federalism: Put an end to the slow and tardy implementation of the policy by fostering inter-ministry, inter-state, and Centre-state coordination. It aims to foster cooperative federalism on the principle of "strong states make a strong nation".
Bottom-Up Approach: Replace the top-down development approach with bottom-up development.
Inclusive Design Policy: Design policy framework for weaker sections of society that may not have benefited from economic progress.
Knowledge, Innovation, and Entrepreneurial Support: Create a knowledge, innovation, and entrepreneurial support system via a community of national and international experts, practitioners, and partners.
Inter-sectoral and Inter-departmental Issues: Serve as a platform for resolution of inter-sectoral and inter-departmental issues to accelerate the implementation of the development agenda.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes, and focus on technology upgradation and capacity building.

The functions of NITI Aayog can be divided into four categories:

Chairperson: The Prime Minister of India.
Governing Council: Comprises the Chief Ministers of all States and Administrators of all Union Territories.
Regional Councils: These are created as per need and their members would be chief ministers and administrators of UTs of respective regions. They are convened by the Prime Minister and comprise the Chief Ministers of States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories in the region.
Vice-Chairperson: The Vice-Chairperson of the NITI Aayog is appointed by the Prime Minister.
Full-time Members: These are individuals with relevant expertise and experience. (Number unspecified, but typically 2, including the Vice-Chairman and 2 ex-officio members).
Part-time Members: Maximum 2, these would be scholars from universities and research institutions.
Ex-officio Members: Maximum 4, these are Ministers from the Union Council of Ministers, nominated by the Prime Minister.
Special Invitees: Experts, specialists, and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge are invited by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO): The CEO of NITI Aayog is appointed by the Prime Minister and holds a rank similar to a Secretary to the Government of India.

Role: NITI Aayog is a 'think-tank' and advisory body, while the Planning Commission played a significant role in allocating funds and formulating Five-Year Plans.
Approach: NITI Aayog adopts a 'bottom-up' approach to planning, fostering greater state participation, whereas the Planning Commission followed a 'top-down' model.
Federalism: NITI Aayog emphasizes cooperative federalism through its Governing Council, giving states a more active role in policy formulation.
Funding: NITI Aayog does not have the power to allocate funds; this function rests with the Ministry of Finance.