By Dipak Kurmi
In a nation as vast, diverse, and dynamic as India, progress has often been measured in the language of GDP growth, foreign investment, and infrastructure expansion. Yet, beneath these visible metrics lies the heartbeat of any real transformation: human capital. It is not just the steel and silicon that propel a nation forward, but its people — educated, healthy, skilled, and empowered. Over the past decade, a quiet revolution has taken shape under the guidance of NITI Aayog, India’s apex policy think tank. This revolution does not shout slogans or seek applause; it works through structural reforms, innovative ideas, and inclusive strategies to place people at the centre of national development.
Established in 2015 to replace the Planning Commission, NITI Aayog was envisaged as a 21st-century institution — one that would drive cooperative federalism, encourage innovation, and steer India towards a sustainable, inclusive future. In the ten years since its formation, NITI Aayog has grown from a planning body into a dynamic execution partner, a laboratory of bold ideas, and the conscience-keeper of policy design in India. What sets it apart is its unwavering belief that a country’s progress is not defined by its buildings, but by the strength and potential of its citizens.
This belief is rooted in India’s demographic reality: with over 65% of the population under the age of 35, the country is sitting atop an unparalleled demographic dividend. But a young population is not inherently an asset — it becomes one only if nurtured through education, healthcare, skills, and opportunity. NITI Aayog has taken this challenge head-on, acting as both a visionary and a collaborator to ensure that India’s youth are not just a statistic, but a force of innovation and productivity.
In the realm of education, which forms the cornerstone of human capital, NITI Aayog played a pivotal role in reshaping the very philosophy of learning in India. With the rollout of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, it helped steer a shift from rote memorisation to conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and holistic development. The NEP’s focus on early childhood care, mother-tongue instruction in primary grades, and flexibility in subject choices marks a break from colonial-era rigidity. Through initiatives like the Atal Innovation Mission, which now supports over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs across the country, the agency injected creativity and curiosity into the classrooms — ensuring that innovation begins not in boardrooms but in schoolrooms.
But education alone is insufficient unless it leads to meaningful livelihoods. Recognising this, NITI Aayog made skilling a national priority. Its support for the Skill India Mission translated into the training of over 1.5 crore youth, bridging the gap between what is taught and what the economy demands. Vocational education was taken to underserved and aspirational districts through community-based models that combined technology, industry partnerships, and demand-driven curriculum. This approach ensured not just employment, but dignified, future-ready work. Simultaneously, NITI Aayog facilitated the simplification of India’s labyrinthine labour laws by backing the rationalisation of 44 central laws into four streamlined codes covering wages, social security, industrial relations, and occupational safety. These reforms modernised India’s labour framework, boosting productivity while safeguarding workers’ rights — particularly in the vast informal sector.
In the domain of health, NITI Aayog has challenged conventional notions by treating health not merely as a cost centre but as an investment in national capability. It was instrumental in conceptualising and monitoring Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health assurance scheme, which today covers over 50 crore citizens. The scheme’s twin pillars — health insurance and the creation of 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres — brought preventive, primary, and curative care within reach of the poorest households. NITI Aayog also focused on the broader determinants of health: nutrition, maternal and child care, mental wellness, and non-communicable diseases.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it became a stress test for India’s public health architecture. NITI Aayog responded by providing critical support to the Ministry of Health and ICMR in modelling infection patterns, allocating medical supplies equitably, and deploying digital health solutions like eSanjeevani, which enabled over 14 crore telemedicine consultations. Its forward-looking emphasis on building digital public health infrastructure and professional public health cadres demonstrated a commitment not just to recovery, but to long-term resilience.
Beyond health, education, and employment, NITI Aayog has been a guiding light for India’s entrepreneurial landscape. Through schemes like Start-Up India, Stand-Up India, and continued nurturing under the Atal Innovation Mission, it has helped build one of the world’s most vibrant start-up ecosystems. Startups in fintech, healthtech, agritech, and edtech now dot India’s cities and villages, solving real-world problems while creating millions of jobs. The think tank has also provided policy support for the scaling up of innovation, ensuring that India’s start-up story is not confined to elite urban centres but spreads across Tier-II and Tier-III towns.
What has made NITI Aayog’s work particularly effective is its commitment to data-driven, evidence-based policy. It pioneered the use of real-time dashboards, behavioural science, and big data analytics to drive governance. Tools like the SDG India Index, Health Index, and School Education Quality Index enabled state governments to measure progress, identify bottlenecks, and foster healthy competition. This transformed governance from a bureaucratic exercise into a culture of performance, accountability, and continuous learning.
Collaboration has been key to this transformation. NITI Aayog has served as a bridge — between the Centre and the states, between policymakers and citizens, and between India and the world. It engaged with civil society to include marginal voices, worked with international organisations like the UN, World Bank, and UNESCO, and ensured that Indian policy reflected the best of global practices tailored to Indian realities. Its embrace of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was not rhetorical — it informed tangible initiatives in clean energy, digital inclusion, mobility, gender parity, and environmental sustainability.
India’s rising position in global innovation indices and improved rankings in ease of doing business and health outcomes are not mere statistics; they are indicators of a deeper, more meaningful transformation. This transformation is not just about policies, but about a shift in mindset — from entitlement to empowerment, from control to collaboration, from short-term fixes to long-term systems.
What makes NITI Aayog unique is its ability to combine vision with execution. It has fostered not just reforms, but a culture of reform. It has shown that meaningful change need not be loud or flashy; it can be quiet, consistent, and deeply impactful. By institutionalising innovation, democratising policy design, and grounding governance in empathy and evidence, it has redefined what a public policy institution can be.
Perhaps most importantly, NITI Aayog has reminded India that the measure of a nation’s greatness lies not in skyscrapers, highways, or economic growth alone, but in the health, education, and empowerment of its people. It has placed the citizen — particularly the young, the poor, the rural, and the marginalised — at the centre of national aspiration.
India stands today at a crossroads. The choices it makes now will define its future for decades. With climate change, digital disruption, global geopolitics, and demographic shifts all converging, the need for adaptive, inclusive, and resilient institutions has never been greater. NITI Aayog has shown the way by proving that policy, when rooted in people and powered by innovation, can be a force of extraordinary change.
As India prepares for the next quarter-century of its democratic journey, the work of NITI Aayog stands as a testament to what is possible when a nation chooses to invest not merely in its roads and factories, but in its people — their dreams, their dignity, and their potential.
In doing so, NITI Aayog has moved beyond being just a think tank. It has become the brain, the heart, and the conscience of a New India — an India that thinks big, builds smart, and believes deeply in the power of its people.
(The writer can be reached at dipakkurmiglpltd@gmail.com)
