In India, which body replaced the Planning Commission as the national policy think tank and institution for cooperative federalism?

Introduction / Context:
This question concerns a major institutional change in Indian economic planning and policy making. For several decades after independence, the Planning Commission played a central role in preparing Five Year Plans and allocating resources. In the twenty first century, the government decided to replace it with a new institution aiming to promote cooperative federalism and act as a policy think tank. Knowing the name and basic function of this body is a common examination requirement.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question clearly states that the body replaces the Planning Commission.
• The options include well known institutions and bodies with different roles.
• We assume familiarity with post independence economic planning and recent reforms.

Concept / Approach:
The Planning Commission was set up in 1950 to oversee planned economic development through Five Year Plans. In January 2015, the Government of India replaced the Planning Commission with NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India). NITI Aayog is designed to function as a policy think tank and to encourage cooperative federalism by involving state governments more closely in national policy formulation.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Planning Commission was abolished and a new body was formed in its place. Step 2: Identify the name of this new body as NITI Aayog. Step 3: Compare the options: UPSC conducts examinations, the National Development Council was a separate coordination body, and NMDC is a public sector mining company. Step 4: Note that only NITI Aayog matches the description of replacing the Planning Commission. Step 5: Choose NITI Aayog as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by remembering that news reports and government documents around 2015 emphasised that NITI Aayog would be the successor to the Planning Commission, with a new design better suited to a liberalised economy. UPSC continued to function with its own distinct mandate, and the National Development Council was gradually phased out as NITI Aayog took over tasks related to inter governmental coordination in planning.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (UPSC) is the Union Public Service Commission, responsible for recruiting to the All India Services and central services, and has nothing to do with planning or resource allocation.
Option C (National Development Council) existed alongside the Planning Commission and was never its replacement; it involved state chief ministers in reviewing plans, but it did not become the new planning body.
Option D (NMDC) is a public sector company engaged in mineral exploration and mining, not a policy planning institution.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse the timing of reforms and may think that the National Development Council replaced the Planning Commission because it also deals with planning related discussions. Another pitfall is mixing up different acronyms; carefully associating NITI Aayog with the idea of transformation and cooperative federalism helps fix it in memory.

Final Answer:
In India, the body that replaced the Planning Commission is NITI Aayog.