NITI Aayog rolls out three year action agenda -Governance Now

NITI Aayog rolls out three year action agenda

The three year action agenda is in draft form and will be soon put in the public domain.

Pratap Vikram Singh | April 25, 2017 | New Delhi

#NITI Aayog #action agenda #Bibek Debroy #strategy agenda #SBI #electricity #CPSEs

Even as a vision and a strategy agenda is in "advanced stages" of finalisation at NITI Aayog, the government think tank has released a draft three year action agenda for public consultation.

The draft action agenda, divided in seven parts and 24 chapters, proposes to reduce the fiscal deficit to 3 percent of the GDP by 2018-19, and revenue deficit to 0.9 percent of the GDP by 2019-20, said Arvind Panagariya, vice chairman, NITI Aayog. The draft proposes a tentative mid-term expenditure framework for the centre. It proposes sector wise expenditure allocation for three years.

It proposes to enhance labour market flexibility by reforming key laws. It also highlights the issue of non-performing assets (NPA). It propounds addressing "high and rising share of NPA in India's banks through supporting the auction of larger assets to private asset reconstruction companies and strengthening the State Bank of India led ARC (asset reconstruction companies)".

In urban development, it suggests to bring down prices to make housing affordable through increased supply of land.

In the area of energy, it advocates for "consumer friendly measures such as provision of electricity for all households by 2022, LPG connection to all BPL households, elimination of black carbon by 2022 and extension of city gas distribution programme to 100 smart cities”.

It also proposes reduction of cross subsidy in the power sector to ensure competitive supply of electricity to industry and reform the coal sector by setting up a regulator, encouraging commercial mining and improving labour productivity.

It underlines implementation of the roadmap on closing loss making PSEs and strategic disinvestment of 20 identified CPSEs. It proposes to “expand the government’s role in public health and quality education”.

It advocates tackling “tax evasion, expanding the tax base and simplifying the tax system through reforms”.

The new development agenda focuses on India 15 years down the line. It focuses on decentralized planning and development. It follows the government’s broader framework of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’, said Bibek Debroy, member, NITI Aayog.

This marks an end to the five year plans, which shaped the development agenda of India after the independence – making the 12th five year plan, which ended this year, as the last of the five year plans. Now the government will have a vision document focusing on 15 years, the strategy agenda focused on seven years and an action plan for three years.

The three year agenda requires executive action. The seven year strategy requires legislative action and the 15 years vision agenda will require institutional and constitutional changes, Debroy said.

The three year action agenda is still in draft form and will be soon put in the public domain.

Comments

Other News

Startup India initiative: A decade of building India’s innovation backbone

* With over 2 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups as of December 2025, India stands firmly as one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems. * A decade of Startup India has built a full-lifecycle support system spanning ideation, funding, mentorship, and scale-up. * Around 50% of DPIIT-r

How toll policies are redefining the highway journeys

With the phenomenal growth in National Highways, queues at toll plazas used to affect commuters. However, over the last decade, tolling has undergone a major technological transformation, bringing faster movement and significant ease for road users. Building on this progress, year 2025 saw further people-c

From vulnerabilities to empowerment: Building resilience for small and marginal farmers

India’s small and marginal farmers are at the centre of a paradox in agrarian economy. They are the backbone of the food economy, but they are the most vulnerable stakeholders within agricultural economy. Among the 126 million farmers in India today, nearly makes 86% operate on small and marginal hol

Concerns over Mumbai air pollution ahead of Marathon

Environmental organisation Awaaz Foundation has flagged serious concerns over deteriorating air quality in Mumbai and the potential health risks it poses to participants of the Tata Mumbai Marathon scheduled for January 18. It has urged civic and pollution control authorities to conduct advance air quality

From darkness to demand: India’s power sector at a policy crossroads

India’s progress in electricity access over the past two decades represents one of the most consequential public infrastructure transformations globally. Yet, as policymakers now confront issues of reliability, financial sustainability, and grid stability, experts argue that the next phase of reform

2026: How AI is transforming everyday life and work in India

Artificial Intelligence is driving a new wave of innovation that touches every part of daily life, from healthcare and farming to education, governance, and climate prediction. It helps doctors diagnose diseases faster, assists farmers in making data-driven decisions, improves learning outcomes for student