NITI Aayog reduced to National Confusion Commission: Congress

DEHRADUN: The ruling Congress in Uttarakhand today lashed out at the Centre for dismantling the Planning Commission of India and replacing it with the NITI Aayog, saying the new panel has been reduced to being " National Confusion Commission."

Alleging that NITI Aayog has not become functional despite a year of its creation, Chief Minister Harish Rawat's media incharge Surendra Kumar claimed that renowned economist Arvind Panagariya who was roped in from the Asian Development Bank as the vice-chairman of the body has still not been assigned a specific responsibility.

"Panagariya who has the reputation of being an expert on economic matters has not been assigned a responsibility yet and has no choice but to sit idle.

"If they (Centre) did not have to take anyone's advice in distribution of economic resources among states, then what was the rationale behind constituting NITI Aayog?" Kumar told reporters here.

"NITI Aayog has been reduced to National Confusion Commission," he said.

"Despite a year since the Aayog came into being the role of its Governing Council which consists of chief ministers as its members or the National Development Council don't have their roles defined," he said, adding, the Aayog was a joke on the country's federal system of governance.

Alleging a massive cut in budgetary allocations to the states, Kumar said they had to suffer cuts worth Rs 75,000 crore under different heads in the budget for 2015-2016.

He criticised the Centre for allegedly stripping Uttarakhand of its special category status and changing the funding pattern for it.

"Funds for centrally sponsored schemes received by Uttarakhand as a special category state in the past in the ratio of 90:10 has been revised to 50:50. Isn't it unfair?" he asked.

"Despite this BJP leaders claim there has not been any change in the funding pattern to the states. It seems they have resolved to tell lies collectively, repeatedly and loudly to make them sound like the truth," he said.