NITI Aayog
Bureaucratic executive
Not created by statute or the Constitution -- established by a Union Cabinet resolution, 1 January 2015
In theory
The Union government's policy think tank, replacing the Planning Commission with a stated mandate of "cooperative federalism": advising states rather than directing them, and coordinating national development strategy.
In practice
Because it exists purely as an executive resolution -- not even a statute, let alone constitutional -- NITI Aayog has no power to allocate funds the way the Planning Commission once did; several Chief Ministers boycotted its 2024 Governing Council meeting over allocation grievances, and West Bengal's Chief Minister has publicly called for it to be scrapped, making it arguably the office with the largest gap between political visibility and actual legal power on this entire roster.
Sources
- Reporting on the 2024 NITI Aayog Governing Council boycott by several Chief Ministers
- Union Cabinet Resolution establishing NITI Aayog, 1 January 2015