NITI Aayog, replacing the Planning Commission in 2015, promotes 'cooperative federalism' primarily through:
- Allocating Plan funds to States based on formula
- Including all State Chief Ministers in its Governing Council for policy dialogue and competitive rankings
- Centralizing development planning at Union level
- Eliminating State-level planning bodies
Answer: Including all State Chief Ministers in its Governing Council for policy dialogue and competitive rankings
NITI Aayog's cooperative federalism model: (a) Governing Council: PM (Chairperson) + all CMs + UT Lt. Governors — platform for Centre-State policy dialogue, (b) Functions promoting federalism: (i) Bottom-up planning: States propose priorities, not top-down imposition, (ii) Best practices sharing: Successful State models disseminated nationally, (iii) Competitive federalism rankings: Health Index, SDG Index, School Education Quality Index motivate improvement through peer comparison, (iv) Policy innovation labs: Joint Centre-State problem-solving, (c) Contrast with Planning Commission: (i) Planning Commission: Top-down plan formulation, resource allocation via formula, (ii) NITI Aayog: Facilitative role, no fund allocation power, influence through persuasion, (d) Challenges: (i) Lack of constitutional/statutory status limits authority, (ii) Effectiveness depends on political will for cooperation, (iii) Capacity gaps in States for data-driven planning, (e) Illustrates federalism evolution: From directive (Planning Commission) to facilitative (NITI Aayog) Centre-State relations; cooperation through dialogue, not coercion.