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NITI Aayog, the premier ‘think-tank’ of the Government has since its inception worked towards achieving transformative change through effective policy instruments and efficient program design. In consonance with the vision of New India, it has played a key role in facilitating dialogue, debates and discussions to conceptualize evidence-based and innovative policies keeping the public interest at the forefront.

 

NITI Lecture Series is one such forum through which  policy makers, academics, experts and administrators of global repute share the platform with eminent personalities, experts and academicians. The aim is to bring policy makers, academics, experts and administrators of global repute to India, for the benefit of policy makers in states and at the Centr and learning from global experience in governance and development.

 

The First edition of the 'NITI Lectures: Transforming India' was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on August 26, 2016 and since been held annually, featuring eminent speakers from across the world.  The first key note address – ‘India and the Global Economy’ - was delivered by the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Shri Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

 

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks at the launch at the First Lecture of this Series set the tone for the lecture series  as he stated that India’s transformation cannot take place without transforming governance and the transformation of governance requires the transformation of minds. He said,” My vision for India is rapid transformation, not gradual evolution. The transformation of India cannot happen without a transformation of governance. A transformation of governance cannot happen without a transformation in mindset. A transformation in mindset cannot happen without transformative ideas.”

 

The Singapore Deputy PM, endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy, saying he has rightly emphasised that there is no strong economy and no strong nation without a strong society. He said,” The social policies and the interaction between the social and economic policies have to be the primary arena for the government’s ambition. Social policy at the end of the day is economic policy,” Mr. Shanmugaratnam emphasized that a culture that focuses on the long term is essential for all that we want to achieve in an inclusive society.

 

 

Bill Gates, Co-Founder, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation delivered the Second lecture in the high-powered lecture series on 'Technology and Transformation' on the November 16, 2016.Lauding India’s push in technology and innovation, he said automation, cloud services and AI provide an opportunity for the IT sector in India which it should embrace for rapid transformation. He said,” Especially for a country the scale and size of India, waiting for others to come up with answers isn’t a realistic option. India has to find its own solutions – tailored to its own unique needs. Countries that embrace change and enable it with strong innovation ecosystems will be well-equipped to address their own domestic challenges and show others the path forward.”.

He praised the Digital India mission, and particularly the Mygov platform for increasing citizen participation in governance. The Microsoft founder hailed Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana for its role in comprehensive financial inclusion to the underserved. He also lauded India’s efforts in healthcare sector and pointed at the breakthroughs in vaccines for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Bill Gates expressed his support for the use of technology in agriculture for enhanced crop yield, new varieties and the use of satellite or drones to monitor crops for diseases. On Demonetization, he said the move to demonetise high-value denomination notes will help to move from shadow to a more transparent economy

On May 25, 2017, Dr. Michael Porter, the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School, delivered the Third Transforming India Lecture, titled ‘Competitiveness of Nations and States: New Insights’. The Harvard economist pointed out that India is set to create a social progress index (SPI) that will mirror the track record of individual states on various counts which is likely to emerge as a tool for accountability in governance and politics. The proposed index will take into account track record of states in basic human needs such as nutrition, shelter, personal safety and drinking water, foundations of well being such as gender parity and literacy as well as opportunities available to citizens including personal rights and access to advanced education..He said, “India is at a very good place on the chart of prosperity performance. We’re seeing lots of signs of progress here,” Dr. Porter lauded  Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM)  trinity as a model which has been breaking new ground in economic policy and the process of development.

 

The Fourth ‘NITI Lecture: Transforming India’ will be held on October 22, 2018 . It will feature a key note address by Mr Jensen Huang, President and Co-Founder, NVIDIA Corporation. The theme is ‘AI for All: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Inclusive Growth’, a topic of immense contemporary relevance.

 

With the vision of disseminating cutting-edge, innovative ideas in development policy to India, the NITI Lectures are attended by the Government’s top decision makers, including members of the Cabinet and senior officials across ministries and departments. The exchange of ideas and concepts throughout the government with the inputs from experts, academia leading and scholars will inspire and promote India’s transformation into a more prosperous, modern economy.

 

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