NITI Aayog plans ‘nudge unit’ to help push government's flagship schemes

NEW DELHI: India has taken a leaf out of Britain’s book to bring behavioural economists and advertising gurus on board to sensitise people at the grassroots towards the government’s flagship programmes such as Swachh Bharat, Jan Dhan Yojana, Digital India and Skill Development through social messaging and new ad campaigns.

The government’s think tank NITI Aayog has tied up with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to set up a ‘nudge unit’ that will work towards bringing about behavioural changes and recommending policy corrections to help make the programmes more effective.

Officially known as the Behavioural Insights Team, the unit was first set up in the UK in 2010 in the Prime Minister’s Office to apply nudge theory (behavioural economics and psychology) to try to improve government policy and services while minimising expenditure. The concept has now expanded to the United States and even Australia.

A senior NITI Aayog official told ET that different ministries have approached them with problems related to implementation of key schemes in the government’s priority areas.

"Hence, we have decided to set up a 'nudge unit' at NITI that will employ behavioural economists to drive these programmes by recommending changes in advertising, financial outflow and other softer elements related to the success of the programmes," the official said on condition of anonymity. "This will compel us to make constant back-end policy corrections," the official said.

NITI Aayog has moved a cabinet note to set up this unit in association with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Aayog and the foundation will jointly hire half-dozen professionals under this unit.