News Analysis India

Tag: NITI Aayog

  • NITI Aayog Calls For Prioritising Tech, AI For Senior Care In India |

    New Delhi: It is important to prioritise technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for senior care, the NITI Aayog said on Monday, in a report on senior care reforms in India.
    The NITI Aayog released a position paper titled “Senior Care Reforms in India: Reimagining the Senior Care Paradigm,” on Friday.

    “The release of this report is one of the stepping stones toward India’s commitment to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047,” said NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery at the occasion. (Also Read: GenAI To Boost Indian Financial Services, Add 80 Billion Dollars By 2030: Report)

    “It is important to extensively prioritise the application of technology and Artificial Intelligence for senior care. It is time to start thinking about the special dimensions of senior care in addition to the medical and social dimensions,” he added. (Also Read: Google Offers 300% Salary Hike To Retain Employee; Read More)

    The recommendations in the position paper categorise the specific interventions needed in terms of empowerment, service delivery, and their inclusions under four core areas: Health, Social, Economic/ Financial, and Digital.

    “This is the time when serious discussions should emerge on making ageing dignity driven, safe, and productive. We need to ensure the social security of the elderly and add more emphasis to wellbeing and care,” said Member (Health) NITI Aayog Dr. V.K. Paul in his address.

    The report strives to push the frontiers of senior care by recognising the evolving medical and non-medical needs of seniors, thus envisioning a multi-pronged strategy for designing an effective and synergised senior care policy.

    “The report is a call for action on what needs to be done to bring a greater focus on senior care,” said Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE), Ministry of Social Justice
    He added that the broad focus of DoSJE is on ageing with dignity, ageing at home, and productive ageing, which will encompass social, economic, and health aspects.

  • NITI Aayog recommends Indian standards of drug regulation to be on par with global standards

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The NITI Aayog has recommended that Indian standards of drug regulation should be on par with global standards as well as aligned with the International Council for Harmonisation guidelines while promoting ease of doing business.

    The apex public policy thinks tank of the central government also suggested creating a separate authority to regulate medical devices in the country which is currently being monitored by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

    The recommendations have been made during the ongoing inter-ministerial consultation on the New Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, of 2023.

    The draft New Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2023, which seeks to replace the existing Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940, was put up on public domain in July last year seeking feedback from stakeholders.

    It has been revised and sent for inter-ministerial consultation.

    On clinical trials, the NITI Aayog said the draft bill should reflect the intent of overcoming the hesitancy of the Indian regulation towards global standards viz a viz adoption and alignment with ICH guidelines for clinical trials, timeliness of decisions, promoting access of new therapies/drugs at the earliest to the Indian population and ease of doing business.

    “Adopting global standards will further boost the export of drugs and assure the quality of drugs supplied domestically and globally. It will also overcome quality-related issues which recently appeared in Gambia and Uzbekistan,” an official source said.

    India-made cough syrups were allegedly linked to child deaths in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year.

    Presently, drugs and cosmetics and medical devices are regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, of 1940. The standards of quality of drugs are prescribed in the Indian Pharmacopoeia and various rules made under the Act.

    “However, highly regulated countries such as the USA, Japan and EU have high standards in their regulation to ensure the quality of medical products.

    In general, many countries do not recognise Indian standards of drug regulations for the import of drugs to their countries,” the source said.

    Besides, in the revised draft of the bill, the Centre has proposed that the apex regulatory body, CDSCO, will be empowered to regulate the manufacture of drugs or cosmetics, instead of state drug regulators as is the practice currently.

    However, the sale of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices will continue to be regulated by the respective state governments.

    NITI Aayog has endorsed the newly introduced provision of giving powers to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to issue manufacturing licences for drugs and cosmetics instead of state regulators, saying it will ensure uniform and effective implementation of the law and implies a huge change towards resting all manufacturing duties with the central licensing authority.

    Presently, all manufacturing activities relating to drugs and cosmetics are regulated by the respective state governments through their State Drug Control Organisations.

    Once the proposed bill is passed by Parliament, all powers of the state governments relating to the regulation of the manufacture of drugs and cosmetics will go to the central government through CDSCO, the official source explained.

    A further provision of taking permission to operate an e-pharmacy has been removed and replaced with “Central Government may regulate, restrict or prohibit the sell, stocking, exhibiting or offer for sale, or distribution of any drug by online mode, by notification”.

    NEW DELHI: The NITI Aayog has recommended that Indian standards of drug regulation should be on par with global standards as well as aligned with the International Council for Harmonisation guidelines while promoting ease of doing business.

    The apex public policy thinks tank of the central government also suggested creating a separate authority to regulate medical devices in the country which is currently being monitored by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

    The recommendations have been made during the ongoing inter-ministerial consultation on the New Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, of 2023.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The draft New Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2023, which seeks to replace the existing Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940, was put up on public domain in July last year seeking feedback from stakeholders.

    It has been revised and sent for inter-ministerial consultation.

    On clinical trials, the NITI Aayog said the draft bill should reflect the intent of overcoming the hesitancy of the Indian regulation towards global standards viz a viz adoption and alignment with ICH guidelines for clinical trials, timeliness of decisions, promoting access of new therapies/drugs at the earliest to the Indian population and ease of doing business.

    “Adopting global standards will further boost the export of drugs and assure the quality of drugs supplied domestically and globally. It will also overcome quality-related issues which recently appeared in Gambia and Uzbekistan,” an official source said.

    India-made cough syrups were allegedly linked to child deaths in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year.

    Presently, drugs and cosmetics and medical devices are regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, of 1940. The standards of quality of drugs are prescribed in the Indian Pharmacopoeia and various rules made under the Act.

    “However, highly regulated countries such as the USA, Japan and EU have high standards in their regulation to ensure the quality of medical products.

    In general, many countries do not recognise Indian standards of drug regulations for the import of drugs to their countries,” the source said.

    Besides, in the revised draft of the bill, the Centre has proposed that the apex regulatory body, CDSCO, will be empowered to regulate the manufacture of drugs or cosmetics, instead of state drug regulators as is the practice currently.

    However, the sale of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices will continue to be regulated by the respective state governments.

    NITI Aayog has endorsed the newly introduced provision of giving powers to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to issue manufacturing licences for drugs and cosmetics instead of state regulators, saying it will ensure uniform and effective implementation of the law and implies a huge change towards resting all manufacturing duties with the central licensing authority.

    Presently, all manufacturing activities relating to drugs and cosmetics are regulated by the respective state governments through their State Drug Control Organisations.

    Once the proposed bill is passed by Parliament, all powers of the state governments relating to the regulation of the manufacture of drugs and cosmetics will go to the central government through CDSCO, the official source explained.

    A further provision of taking permission to operate an e-pharmacy has been removed and replaced with “Central Government may regulate, restrict or prohibit the sell, stocking, exhibiting or offer for sale, or distribution of any drug by online mode, by notification”.

  • NITI Aayog’s Goa unemployment figures inaccurate, says CM Sawant; Cong, NCP slam him

    By PTI

    PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said unemployment figures cited by the NITI Aayog for the coastal state were inaccurate as several persons registered with the local employment exchange had not cancelled their names after getting jobs.

    The opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party accused him of trying to prove the NITI Aayog wrong in a possible bid to hide his government’s failure to provide jobs to people.

    “The NITI Aayog has stated there are 1.10 lakh unemployed youth in Goa. The figure is not correct.

    Some 80,000 are already employed but have not cancelled their names in the employment exchange because they are waiting for a government job,” the CM said.

    “The names of some government servants also figure in the list. As per our information, only 20,000 youth are unemployed.

    The state government will work out a system to cancel the names of people who are already employed,” Sawant added.

    The opposition Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party slammed the CM for his statements on the unemployment situation in the state.

    “Wow! Kudos to BJP Governments Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant for ridiculing Niti Ayog headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on its Report of 1.10 lakhs unemployed in Goa.

    You are a genius who invented the 102 per cent Covid Vaccination Theory. BJP need to reward you soon,” state Congress chief Amit Patkar said in a statement.

    He said Sawant was “mocking” his own government by claiming the data maintained by the employment exchange was faulty.

    “I appreciate his honesty. What can you expect from a person who has taken lessons on shakhas,” Patkar further said.

    NCP national spokesperson questioned if CM Sawant, through his statement, was saying the “Aayog is not doing its job correctly.”

    Crasto said the Goa government had either failed to provide correct data on jobs and employment to the Union government or was hiding the situation by claiming people had got jobs elsewhere and had not cancelled their names at the employment exchange.

    The NCP leader said Sawant must make the names of these 80,000 names public and also correct the data available with the employment exchange.

    “If not, it will mean CM Pramod Sawant is trying to prove the NITI Aayog wrong only to hide his government’s failure to provide jobs to the people of Goa,” he alleged.

    Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Sawant held a meeting with NITI Aayog member Dr VK Saraswat in the presence of the state’s chief secretary and other officials here.

    After the meeting, Sawant tweeted the NITI Aayog lauded the Goa Electric Mobility Promotion policy, adoption of emerging technologies and other policies.

    “The NITI Aayog elaborated on how it can support the state under State Support Mission.

    With enhanced coordination and advisory support from NITI the state surely can develop in multiple sectors,” the CM had further tweeted.

    PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said unemployment figures cited by the NITI Aayog for the coastal state were inaccurate as several persons registered with the local employment exchange had not cancelled their names after getting jobs.

    The opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party accused him of trying to prove the NITI Aayog wrong in a possible bid to hide his government’s failure to provide jobs to people.

    “The NITI Aayog has stated there are 1.10 lakh unemployed youth in Goa. The figure is not correct.

    Some 80,000 are already employed but have not cancelled their names in the employment exchange because they are waiting for a government job,” the CM said.

    “The names of some government servants also figure in the list. As per our information, only 20,000 youth are unemployed.

    The state government will work out a system to cancel the names of people who are already employed,” Sawant added.

    The opposition Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party slammed the CM for his statements on the unemployment situation in the state.

    “Wow! Kudos to BJP Governments Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant for ridiculing Niti Ayog headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on its Report of 1.10 lakhs unemployed in Goa.

    You are a genius who invented the 102 per cent Covid Vaccination Theory. BJP need to reward you soon,” state Congress chief Amit Patkar said in a statement.

    He said Sawant was “mocking” his own government by claiming the data maintained by the employment exchange was faulty.

    “I appreciate his honesty. What can you expect from a person who has taken lessons on shakhas,” Patkar further said.

    NCP national spokesperson questioned if CM Sawant, through his statement, was saying the “Aayog is not doing its job correctly.”

    Crasto said the Goa government had either failed to provide correct data on jobs and employment to the Union government or was hiding the situation by claiming people had got jobs elsewhere and had not cancelled their names at the employment exchange.

    The NCP leader said Sawant must make the names of these 80,000 names public and also correct the data available with the employment exchange.

    “If not, it will mean CM Pramod Sawant is trying to prove the NITI Aayog wrong only to hide his government’s failure to provide jobs to the people of Goa,” he alleged.

    Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Sawant held a meeting with NITI Aayog member Dr VK Saraswat in the presence of the state’s chief secretary and other officials here.

    After the meeting, Sawant tweeted the NITI Aayog lauded the Goa Electric Mobility Promotion policy, adoption of emerging technologies and other policies.

    “The NITI Aayog elaborated on how it can support the state under State Support Mission.

    With enhanced coordination and advisory support from NITI the state surely can develop in multiple sectors,” the CM had further tweeted.

  • Maharashtra, Andhra, Gujarat top states in implementing Poshan Abhiyaan scheme: Niti report

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat have been ranked as the top three states among larger states in terms of the overall implementation of the Centre’s flagship Poshan Abhiyaan, according to a Niti Aayog report.

    Sikkim was the best performer among the small states.

    The report titled ‘Preserving Progress on Nutrition in India: Poshan Abhiyan in Pandemic Times’ further said that 12 out of 19 large states had an implementation score of over 70 per cent.

    While Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu topped among Union Territories (UTs), Punjab and Bihar were the lowest performers among larger states in terms of the overall implementation of Poshan Abhiyaan, as per the government think tank report.

    It pointed out that only 17 states and UTs had more than 75 per cent of children 12-23 months of age who were fully immunised, while 11 states and UTs had less than 25 per cent fully immunised children.

    In terms of WCD programme coverage, many states and UTs have distributed take-home rations (THR) to all beneficiaries, according to the report.

    However, it said, coverage remained low in Bihar (65 per cent pregnant women, 62 per cent lactating women, and 52 per cent children), Punjab (78 per cent pregnant women, 76 per cent lactating women, and 65 per cent children), Sikkim (84 per cent pregnant women, 84 per cent lactating women, and 77 per cent children) and Jammu and Kashmir (49 per cent pregnant women, 51 per cent lactating women, and 54 per cent children).

    According to the report, 16 states and UTs had more than 75 per cent of children (0-59 months) diarrhoea cases treated with ORS, while there were 5 states and UTs that treated less than 25 per cent of child diarrhoea cases with ORS.

    Noting that overall fund utilisation under Poshan Abhiyaan is low, with less than 50 per cent of funds utilised in 23 states and UTs, the report said, “There is an immediate need to accelerate its use through channels like recruiting human resources, procurement of devices”.

    The report stressed the need of accelerating the use of funds released for Poshan Abhiyaan and ensuring an adequate number of health facilities and supplies.

    It also suggested expanding coverage and improving the quality of essential health and nutrition interventions by continuing to strengthen the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) and health platforms.

    Operationalise the Convergence Action Plans (CAPs) so that the convergence is outcome-oriented and interventions across sectors reach the target beneficiaries, the report suggested.

    It noted that efforts to increase household demand for services are also going to be central to achieving coverage, therefore, demand creation to access and use of health and ICDS services should be a key focus of the social and behavioural change component (SBCC) pillar of Poshan Abhiyaan in 2021.

    The report suggested that among the many ICDS services, priority areas for capacity building should include strengthening the quality of growth monitoring and home-based counselling.

    There is a need to strive for data management at the state and UT level to track their standing with respect to the objective of the Abhiyaan as well as to enable inter-state comparison on performances, it emphasised.

    To continue progress under the Poshan Abhiyaan, the report said gaps in HR positions must be closed, particularly in states where less than half of the required positions are filled.

    The report covers the January to December 2020 period, which mostly coincides with the active implementation of mission activities, following a long period of aligning actions across multiple ministries, development partners, states, districts and communities.

    In 2018, the Centre launched its flagship programme, the Poshan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) Abhiyaan to draw national attention to and take action against malnutrition in a mission mode.

    It is a scheme under the ICDS umbrella which converge with other programs and service delivering nutrition interventions during the first 1,000-day period.

    The mission attempts to deliver a high-impact package of interventions in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life; strengthen the delivery of these interventions through technology and management; improve the capacity of frontline workers (FLWs); facilitate cross-sectoral convergence to address the multi-dimensional nature of malnutrition, and enhance behaviour change and community mobilisation.

    NEW DELHI: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat have been ranked as the top three states among larger states in terms of the overall implementation of the Centre’s flagship Poshan Abhiyaan, according to a Niti Aayog report.

    Sikkim was the best performer among the small states.

    The report titled ‘Preserving Progress on Nutrition in India: Poshan Abhiyan in Pandemic Times’ further said that 12 out of 19 large states had an implementation score of over 70 per cent.

    While Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu topped among Union Territories (UTs), Punjab and Bihar were the lowest performers among larger states in terms of the overall implementation of Poshan Abhiyaan, as per the government think tank report.

    It pointed out that only 17 states and UTs had more than 75 per cent of children 12-23 months of age who were fully immunised, while 11 states and UTs had less than 25 per cent fully immunised children.

    In terms of WCD programme coverage, many states and UTs have distributed take-home rations (THR) to all beneficiaries, according to the report.

    However, it said, coverage remained low in Bihar (65 per cent pregnant women, 62 per cent lactating women, and 52 per cent children), Punjab (78 per cent pregnant women, 76 per cent lactating women, and 65 per cent children), Sikkim (84 per cent pregnant women, 84 per cent lactating women, and 77 per cent children) and Jammu and Kashmir (49 per cent pregnant women, 51 per cent lactating women, and 54 per cent children).

    According to the report, 16 states and UTs had more than 75 per cent of children (0-59 months) diarrhoea cases treated with ORS, while there were 5 states and UTs that treated less than 25 per cent of child diarrhoea cases with ORS.

    Noting that overall fund utilisation under Poshan Abhiyaan is low, with less than 50 per cent of funds utilised in 23 states and UTs, the report said, “There is an immediate need to accelerate its use through channels like recruiting human resources, procurement of devices”.

    The report stressed the need of accelerating the use of funds released for Poshan Abhiyaan and ensuring an adequate number of health facilities and supplies.

    It also suggested expanding coverage and improving the quality of essential health and nutrition interventions by continuing to strengthen the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) and health platforms.

    Operationalise the Convergence Action Plans (CAPs) so that the convergence is outcome-oriented and interventions across sectors reach the target beneficiaries, the report suggested.

    It noted that efforts to increase household demand for services are also going to be central to achieving coverage, therefore, demand creation to access and use of health and ICDS services should be a key focus of the social and behavioural change component (SBCC) pillar of Poshan Abhiyaan in 2021.

    The report suggested that among the many ICDS services, priority areas for capacity building should include strengthening the quality of growth monitoring and home-based counselling.

    There is a need to strive for data management at the state and UT level to track their standing with respect to the objective of the Abhiyaan as well as to enable inter-state comparison on performances, it emphasised.

    To continue progress under the Poshan Abhiyaan, the report said gaps in HR positions must be closed, particularly in states where less than half of the required positions are filled.

    The report covers the January to December 2020 period, which mostly coincides with the active implementation of mission activities, following a long period of aligning actions across multiple ministries, development partners, states, districts and communities.

    In 2018, the Centre launched its flagship programme, the Poshan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) Abhiyaan to draw national attention to and take action against malnutrition in a mission mode.

    It is a scheme under the ICDS umbrella which converge with other programs and service delivering nutrition interventions during the first 1,000-day period.

    The mission attempts to deliver a high-impact package of interventions in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life; strengthen the delivery of these interventions through technology and management; improve the capacity of frontline workers (FLWs); facilitate cross-sectoral convergence to address the multi-dimensional nature of malnutrition, and enhance behaviour change and community mobilisation.

  • Bihar saga bares rifts in federalism

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Even before the Bihar saga unfolded, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s conspicuous absence from the seventh council meeting of the Niti Aayog last week chaired by PM Modi has sent a clear signal that all is not well between the two.

    While Prime Minister Modi hailed co-operative federalism in the country during the Council meeting, states like Telangana and Bihar stayed away, accusing the Centre of bulldozing the federal structure of the country. The meeting also saw many state heads griping about GST compensations, implementation of NEP and the Centre’s interference in their affairs, among a host of other issues.

    The contestation between the states and the Centre over federal rights is nothing new, as many opposition states feel that the last eight years of the BJP have seen increasing centralization of power, though the party swears by spirit of cooperative federalism.

    Speaking to The New Indian Express, Prof Balveer Arora, Chairman, Centre for Multilevel Federalism (CMF), said there was a dialogue deficit between the Centre and the states, which is essential for cooperative federalism. “The Niti Aayog meeting showed that dialogue between the Centre and the states is not frequent and open enough. There is a tendency to project cooperative federalism as success when states are made to toe the Central policy line,” says Arora.

    However, Amitabh Kant, former CEO of Niti Aayog, told The New Indian Express that the Aayog has always acted as a bridge between the Central and state governments, bringing both together to address implementation issues. “Niti Aayog promoted competitive federalism, where we ranked states through a variety of indices. These indices ranged from SDGs, export preparedness, innovation, health, school education, water, and energy. We also highlighted state best practices, enabling states to learn from one another,” he said.

    Economist Pronab Sen says that after the scrapping of the Planning Commission, there is no clarity on how funds for various schemes are allocated to states.

    STRAINS IN CENTRE-STATE RELATIONS

    Some experts argue that cooperative federalism is slowly being replaced by coercive federalism by increasing the Centre’s dominance in policymaking over the states. Some of the instances are mentioned below:

    FINANCE

    In terms of fiscal federalism, finance has always been a debatable topic. The 14th Finance Commission stating the Rashtriya Suraksha Nidhi should not be from the Consolidated Fund of India but rather by the states under the subject of security and defense has shown the opposing idea of the Centre towards cooperative federalism. Similarly, the neutralisation of the namesake State tax revenues increased from 32% to 42%, by cutting the share of Centre in Centre-sponsored schemes. 

    DEMONETISATION

    Even the decision of demonetisation was not taken with state governments consideration due to which the states suffered a severe setback. 

    TAXES

    And to top it all was the introduction of the 101st Amendment, wherein on one hand the power of states to levy indirect taxes (like octroi, entry tax, luxury, and entertainment taxes, etc) was taken away and on the other, the Centre was given the dominant position in the GST council decision-making process. 

    STATE EMERGENCY

    Under coercive political federalism, one of the recent instances we find was in the Maharashtra state election. A state emergency was imposed an hour before the deadline following its revocation an hour before a minority government was formed by the Governor despite having an adequate alliance.

    TRADING OF MLAs

    An unfortunate occurrence lies in the trading of MLAs in the states of MP, Karnataka, and now in Rajasthan. Further, the concept of ‘One Nation One Election’ which has the tendency of overshadowing the issues of the states also seems as a centralising idea in case the same political party comes into power in both the Centre and a majority of the States. 

    ADMINISTRATIVE FEDERALISM

    Finally, we see the deep-rooted coercive federalism spread even in the administrative federalism wherein the complaints filed by the citizens in Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan application get registered directly under the cell which is in control of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs. 

    ARTICLE 370 REVOCATION

    In matters of special status to Jammu & Kashmir which was taken away while under the President’s rule and Article 370 being rendered ineffective also shows us the deviation from cooperative federalism.

    NITI AAYOG

    Among other instances, we find Niti Aayog as mentioned earlier, which has replaced the Planning Commission and majorly caters to the Centre’s whims and fancies. 

    GOVERNOR”S APPOINTMENT

    Even so far the office of Governor is concerned, states get no role in the appointment and transfer of governors.

    NEW DELHI: Even before the Bihar saga unfolded, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s conspicuous absence from the seventh council meeting of the Niti Aayog last week chaired by PM Modi has sent a clear signal that all is not well between the two.

    While Prime Minister Modi hailed co-operative federalism in the country during the Council meeting, states like Telangana and Bihar stayed away, accusing the Centre of bulldozing the federal structure of the country. The meeting also saw many state heads griping about GST compensations, implementation of NEP and the Centre’s interference in their affairs, among a host of other issues.

    The contestation between the states and the Centre over federal rights is nothing new, as many opposition states feel that the last eight years of the BJP have seen increasing centralization of power, though the party swears by spirit of cooperative federalism.

    Speaking to The New Indian Express, Prof Balveer Arora, Chairman, Centre for Multilevel Federalism (CMF), said there was a dialogue deficit between the Centre and the states, which is essential for cooperative federalism. “The Niti Aayog meeting showed that dialogue between the Centre and the states is not frequent and open enough. There is a tendency to project cooperative federalism as success when states are made to toe the Central policy line,” says Arora.

    However, Amitabh Kant, former CEO of Niti Aayog, told The New Indian Express that the Aayog has always acted as a bridge between the Central and state governments, bringing both together to address implementation issues. “Niti Aayog promoted competitive federalism, where we ranked states through a variety of indices. These indices ranged from SDGs, export preparedness, innovation, health, school education, water, and energy. We also highlighted state best practices, enabling states to learn from one another,” he said.

    Economist Pronab Sen says that after the scrapping of the Planning Commission, there is no clarity on how funds for various schemes are allocated to states.

    STRAINS IN CENTRE-STATE RELATIONS

    Some experts argue that cooperative federalism is slowly being replaced by coercive federalism by increasing the Centre’s dominance in policymaking over the states. Some of the instances are mentioned below:

    FINANCE

    In terms of fiscal federalism, finance has always been a debatable topic. The 14th Finance Commission stating the Rashtriya Suraksha Nidhi should not be from the Consolidated Fund of India but rather by the states under the subject of security and defense has shown the opposing idea of the Centre towards cooperative federalism. Similarly, the neutralisation of the namesake State tax revenues increased from 32% to 42%, by cutting the share of Centre in Centre-sponsored schemes. 

    DEMONETISATION

    Even the decision of demonetisation was not taken with state governments consideration due to which the states suffered a severe setback. 

    TAXES

    And to top it all was the introduction of the 101st Amendment, wherein on one hand the power of states to levy indirect taxes (like octroi, entry tax, luxury, and entertainment taxes, etc) was taken away and on the other, the Centre was given the dominant position in the GST council decision-making process. 

    STATE EMERGENCY

    Under coercive political federalism, one of the recent instances we find was in the Maharashtra state election. A state emergency was imposed an hour before the deadline following its revocation an hour before a minority government was formed by the Governor despite having an adequate alliance.

    TRADING OF MLAs

    An unfortunate occurrence lies in the trading of MLAs in the states of MP, Karnataka, and now in Rajasthan. Further, the concept of ‘One Nation One Election’ which has the tendency of overshadowing the issues of the states also seems as a centralising idea in case the same political party comes into power in both the Centre and a majority of the States. 

    ADMINISTRATIVE FEDERALISM

    Finally, we see the deep-rooted coercive federalism spread even in the administrative federalism wherein the complaints filed by the citizens in Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan application get registered directly under the cell which is in control of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs. 

    ARTICLE 370 REVOCATION

    In matters of special status to Jammu & Kashmir which was taken away while under the President’s rule and Article 370 being rendered ineffective also shows us the deviation from cooperative federalism.

    NITI AAYOG

    Among other instances, we find Niti Aayog as mentioned earlier, which has replaced the Planning Commission and majorly caters to the Centre’s whims and fancies. 

    GOVERNOR”S APPOINTMENT

    Even so far the office of Governor is concerned, states get no role in the appointment and transfer of governors.

  • Sulking JD(U) says it won’t join the Centre

    Express News Service

    PATNA:  On a day Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar skipped the NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi for the second time in a row, his party continued to be in a sulk saying it will not join the Union ministry despite a vacancy created by its former member R C P Singh’s resignation from the Cabinet. 

    JD(U)’s national chief Rajiv Ranjan Singh a.k.a Lalan Singh said his party will stick to its 2019 stand on the issue. He, however, added that the JD(U) will continue to be part of the NDA. In 2019, Nitish had announced that the party would stay away from the Union cabinet. “We still stick to our earlier stand,” he said.

    He blamed R C P Singh for unilaterally reversing it in 2021 when the latter was the national head of the party. “Nitish Kumar could not react to his (RCP’s) decision for obvious reasons,” Lalan claimed. 

    Lalan also obliquely attacked the state BJP, saying a plot was being hatched to weaken Nitish. A second Chirag Paswan model was being conjured up to do so, he alleged. Paswan had fielding his party’s candidates against the JD(U) in the Assembly elections, which resulted in the defeat of the JD(U) in about 20 Assembly seats. 

    ALSO READ | ‘I practise politics of positivity’: Chirag hits back at JDU after being blamed for its decline

    PATNA:  On a day Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar skipped the NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi for the second time in a row, his party continued to be in a sulk saying it will not join the Union ministry despite a vacancy created by its former member R C P Singh’s resignation from the Cabinet. 

    JD(U)’s national chief Rajiv Ranjan Singh a.k.a Lalan Singh said his party will stick to its 2019 stand on the issue. He, however, added that the JD(U) will continue to be part of the NDA. In 2019, Nitish had announced that the party would stay away from the Union cabinet. “We still stick to our earlier stand,” he said.

    He blamed R C P Singh for unilaterally reversing it in 2021 when the latter was the national head of the party. “Nitish Kumar could not react to his (RCP’s) decision for obvious reasons,” Lalan claimed. 

    Lalan also obliquely attacked the state BJP, saying a plot was being hatched to weaken Nitish. A second Chirag Paswan model was being conjured up to do so, he alleged. Paswan had fielding his party’s candidates against the JD(U) in the Assembly elections, which resulted in the defeat of the JD(U) in about 20 Assembly seats. 

    ALSO READ | ‘I practise politics of positivity’: Chirag hits back at JDU after being blamed for its decline

  • PM Modi wants India to become self-sufficient, global leader in farm sector

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a strong case for modernising the farm sector by using technology so that India can become self-sufficient and a global leader in the agriculture sector.

    Addressing the meeting of the Governing Council of the Niti Aayog, he said that rapid urbanisation can become India’s strength instead of weakness by leveraging technology to ensure ease of living, transparent service delivery, and improvement in the quality of life. He said that India should become self-sufficient in the production of edible oil.

    The Prime Minister also spoke about upcoming India’s presidency of the G-20 in 2023. G-20 is a grouping of developed and developing nations. He asked the states to set up dedicated teams for G-20 with a view to deriving maximum possible benefit from the initiative.

    This was the first physical meeting of the Governing Council since the onset of the pandemic, with the 2021 meeting held via video conferencing.

    The meeting was attended by 23 chief ministers, 3 Lieutenant Governors and 2 Administrators and Union ministers.

    The Governing Council discussed four key agenda items -crop diversification and achieving self-sufficiency in pulses, oilseeds and other agri-commodities; implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) in school education; implementation of NEP in higher education; and urban governance.

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a strong case for modernising the farm sector by using technology so that India can become self-sufficient and a global leader in the agriculture sector.

    Addressing the meeting of the Governing Council of the Niti Aayog, he said that rapid urbanisation can become India’s strength instead of weakness by leveraging technology to ensure ease of living, transparent service delivery, and improvement in the quality of life. He said that India should become self-sufficient in the production of edible oil.

    The Prime Minister also spoke about upcoming India’s presidency of the G-20 in 2023. G-20 is a grouping of developed and developing nations. He asked the states to set up dedicated teams for G-20 with a view to deriving maximum possible benefit from the initiative.

    This was the first physical meeting of the Governing Council since the onset of the pandemic, with the 2021 meeting held via video conferencing.

    The meeting was attended by 23 chief ministers, 3 Lieutenant Governors and 2 Administrators and Union ministers.

    The Governing Council discussed four key agenda items -crop diversification and achieving self-sufficiency in pulses, oilseeds and other agri-commodities; implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) in school education; implementation of NEP in higher education; and urban governance.

  • See Union Govt’s guidelines for battling Monkeypox outbreak

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: In the wake of the rising cases of Monkeypox in the country, Union Health Ministry on Wednesday released guidelines to prevent the spread of Monkeypox disease.

    The Ministry, in its official communication, informed that there was no reported case of the Monkeypox virus in India till May 31, 2022. However, India needs to be prepared in view of the increasing reports of cases in non-endemic countries.

    Monkeypox (MPX) is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although with less clinical severity. MPX was first discovered in 1958 in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘Monkeypox.’

    The first human case of Monkeypox was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970. The Monkeypox Virus primarily occurs in Central and West Africa. In 2003, the first Monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa was reported in the United States of America, which was linked to contact with infected pet prairie dogs. These pets had been housed with Gambian pouched rats and dormice that had been imported into the country from Ghana.

    Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks. Severe cases occur more commonly among children and are related to the extent of virus exposure, patient health status and nature of complications.

    It is known to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact. It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, and indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens of an infected person.

    ALSO READ | Third monkeypox case in Delhi, government says not to panic

    It may occur by a bite or scratch of infected animals like small mammals including rodents (rats, squirrels) and non-human primates (monkeys, apes) or through bush meat preparation.

    A person of any age having a history of travel to affected countries within the last 21 days presenting with an unexplained acute rash and one or more of the following signs or symptoms

    Swollen lymph nodes

    Fever

    Headache

    Body aches

    profound weakness

    Prodrome (0-5 days)

    a. Fever

    b. Lymphadenopathy. Typically occurs with fever onset. Periauricular, axillary, cervical or inguinal. Unilateral or bilateral

    c. Headache, muscle aches, exhaustion

    d. Chills and/or sweats

    e. Sore throat and cough

    Skin involvement (rash)

    a. Usually begins within 1-3 days of fever onset, lasting for around 2-4 weeks

    b. Deep-seated, well-circumscribed and often develop umbilication

    c. Lesions are often described as painful until the healing phase when they become itchy (in the crust stage)

    The Ministry further laid down

    a) Contacts should be monitored at least daily for the onset of signs/symptoms for a period of 21 days (as per the case definition above) from the last contact with a patient or their contaminated materials during the infectious period. In case of occurrence of fever clinical/lab evaluation is warranted.

    b) Asymptomatic contacts should not donate blood, cells, tissue, organs or semen while they are under surveillance.

    c) Pre-school children may be excluded from daycare, nursery, or other group settings.

    d) Health workers who have unprotected exposures to patients with monkeypox or possibly contaminated materials do not need to be excluded from work duty if asymptomatic but should undergo active surveillance for symptoms for 21 days.

    1. Avoid contact with any materials, such as bedding, that have been in contact with a sick person.

    2. Isolate infected patients from others.

    3. Practice good hand hygiene after contact with infected animals or humans. For example, washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

    4. Use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients.

    5. Surveillance and rapid identification of new cases are critical for outbreak containment. During human Monkeypox outbreaks, close contact with infected persons is the most significant risk factor for monkeypox virus infection. Health workers and household members are at a greater risk of infection.

    6. Health workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed monkeypox virus infection, or handling specimens from them, should implement standard infection control precautions. Samples taken from people and animals with suspected monkeypox virus infection should be handled by trained staff working in suitably equipped laboratories. Patient specimens must be safely prepared for transport with triple packaging in accordance with WHO guidance for the transport of infectious substances.

    A combination of standard, contact and droplet precautions should be applied in all healthcare settings when a patient presents with fever and vesicular/pustular rash. In addition, because of the theoretical risk of airborne transmission of the Monkeypox virus, airborne precautions should be applied as per risk assessment.

    ALSO READ | Covid setup at Gandhi Hospital can be used to test for monkeypox

    In the wake of the rising cases of Monkeypox in the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday assured citizens not to panic and said that an awareness campaign is being run in collaboration with the state governments to prevent the spread of the infection.

    Speaking in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday during the ongoing Monsoon session of the Parliament, the Union Minister said, “There is no need to be afraid of Monkeypox, an awareness campaign is being run in collaboration with the state governments: Public awareness is very necessary for the context of Monkeypox. We have also formed a task force under the chairmanship of a member of NITI Aayog on behalf of the Government of India.”

    “On the basis of the observations of the task force, we will assess and study the further action to be taken. If the state government of Kerala needs any kind of help from the Central government, it will be given. Also, an expert team of the Central government is guiding the state government from time to time,” he said.

    NEW DELHI: In the wake of the rising cases of Monkeypox in the country, Union Health Ministry on Wednesday released guidelines to prevent the spread of Monkeypox disease.

    The Ministry, in its official communication, informed that there was no reported case of the Monkeypox virus in India till May 31, 2022. However, India needs to be prepared in view of the increasing reports of cases in non-endemic countries.

    Monkeypox (MPX) is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although with less clinical severity. MPX was first discovered in 1958 in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘Monkeypox.’

    The first human case of Monkeypox was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970. The Monkeypox Virus primarily occurs in Central and West Africa. In 2003, the first Monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa was reported in the United States of America, which was linked to contact with infected pet prairie dogs. These pets had been housed with Gambian pouched rats and dormice that had been imported into the country from Ghana.

    Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks. Severe cases occur more commonly among children and are related to the extent of virus exposure, patient health status and nature of complications.

    It is known to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact. It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, and indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens of an infected person.

    ALSO READ | Third monkeypox case in Delhi, government says not to panic

    It may occur by a bite or scratch of infected animals like small mammals including rodents (rats, squirrels) and non-human primates (monkeys, apes) or through bush meat preparation.

    A person of any age having a history of travel to affected countries within the last 21 days presenting with an unexplained acute rash and one or more of the following signs or symptoms

    Swollen lymph nodes

    Fever

    Headache

    Body aches

    profound weakness

    Prodrome (0-5 days)

    a. Fever

    b. Lymphadenopathy. Typically occurs with fever onset. Periauricular, axillary, cervical or inguinal. Unilateral or bilateral

    c. Headache, muscle aches, exhaustion

    d. Chills and/or sweats

    e. Sore throat and cough

    Skin involvement (rash)

    a. Usually begins within 1-3 days of fever onset, lasting for around 2-4 weeks

    b. Deep-seated, well-circumscribed and often develop umbilication

    c. Lesions are often described as painful until the healing phase when they become itchy (in the crust stage)

    The Ministry further laid down

    a) Contacts should be monitored at least daily for the onset of signs/symptoms for a period of 21 days (as per the case definition above) from the last contact with a patient or their contaminated materials during the infectious period. In case of occurrence of fever clinical/lab evaluation is warranted.

    b) Asymptomatic contacts should not donate blood, cells, tissue, organs or semen while they are under surveillance.

    c) Pre-school children may be excluded from daycare, nursery, or other group settings.

    d) Health workers who have unprotected exposures to patients with monkeypox or possibly contaminated materials do not need to be excluded from work duty if asymptomatic but should undergo active surveillance for symptoms for 21 days.

    1. Avoid contact with any materials, such as bedding, that have been in contact with a sick person.

    2. Isolate infected patients from others.

    3. Practice good hand hygiene after contact with infected animals or humans. For example, washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

    4. Use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients.

    5. Surveillance and rapid identification of new cases are critical for outbreak containment. During human Monkeypox outbreaks, close contact with infected persons is the most significant risk factor for monkeypox virus infection. Health workers and household members are at a greater risk of infection.

    6. Health workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed monkeypox virus infection, or handling specimens from them, should implement standard infection control precautions. Samples taken from people and animals with suspected monkeypox virus infection should be handled by trained staff working in suitably equipped laboratories. Patient specimens must be safely prepared for transport with triple packaging in accordance with WHO guidance for the transport of infectious substances.

    A combination of standard, contact and droplet precautions should be applied in all healthcare settings when a patient presents with fever and vesicular/pustular rash. In addition, because of the theoretical risk of airborne transmission of the Monkeypox virus, airborne precautions should be applied as per risk assessment.

    ALSO READ | Covid setup at Gandhi Hospital can be used to test for monkeypox

    In the wake of the rising cases of Monkeypox in the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday assured citizens not to panic and said that an awareness campaign is being run in collaboration with the state governments to prevent the spread of the infection.

    Speaking in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday during the ongoing Monsoon session of the Parliament, the Union Minister said, “There is no need to be afraid of Monkeypox, an awareness campaign is being run in collaboration with the state governments: Public awareness is very necessary for the context of Monkeypox. We have also formed a task force under the chairmanship of a member of NITI Aayog on behalf of the Government of India.”

    “On the basis of the observations of the task force, we will assess and study the further action to be taken. If the state government of Kerala needs any kind of help from the Central government, it will be given. Also, an expert team of the Central government is guiding the state government from time to time,” he said.

  • NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar steps down for unknown reasons

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar has stepped down, sources said. The reason behind his move could not be immediately ascertained.

    Kumar, an eminent economist, took over as vice chairman of NITI Aayog in August 2017 after the then Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya exited the government think-tank to return to academics. Kumar holds a DPhil in economics from Oxford University and a PhD from Lucknow University. He was also a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR).

  • NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar steps down, Suman K Bery to replace

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The government on Friday appointed Suman K Bery as the vice chairman of NITI Aayog, following the sudden resignation of Rajiv Kumar. Bery will take charge from May 1, 2022, an official order said.

    Kumar’s tenure will end on April 30. Kumar, an eminent economist, took over as vice chairman of NITI Aayog in August 2017 after the then VC Arvind Panagariya exited the government think-tank to return to academics.

    According to the order, Kumar’s resignation has been accepted and he would be relieved from the post with effect from April 30. Kumar played a key role in NITI Aayog’s policy making, with focus on agriculture, asset monetisation, disinvestment, aspirational districts programme and electric vehicles, among others.

    Kumar holds a DPhil in economics from Oxford University and a PhD from Lucknow University. He was also a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). Bery had earlier served as Director-General (Chief Executive) of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi.

    He was also a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, Statistical Commission and the Reserve Bank of India’s Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy.