"NITI Aayog's Governing Council is the principal platform of cooperative federalism, yet it remains advisory in character." Critically examine in the light of recent Governing Council meetings.

Constituted by a Cabinet Secretariat Resolution of 1 January 2015, NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission; its Governing Council (GC) — chaired by the Prime Minister with all Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors and Administrators — is the country's widest Centre-State deliberative forum [1][3]. Its strength lies in consultation, not command.

As a platform of cooperative federalism

• Widest political representation: the 11th GC Meeting (June 2026) saw Chief Ministers of all 28 States and 5 UTs attend — the first such full participation, signalling the forum's legitimacy across party lines [2].
• Agenda co-ownership: the theme "Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat @2047" framed States as co-architects, extending planning to district, block and village level [2].
• States as building blocks: the 10th GCM (24 May 2025, Bharat Mandapam) on "Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047" generated State suggestions on agriculture, skilling, water, compliance reduction and cyber security [4].
• Institutionalised follow-up: the GC Secretariat prepares minutes and Action Taken Reports with Ministries and States [3].

Limits of an advisory body

• No statutory or constitutional status — created by executive resolution, so its outcomes bind nobody [1].
• No allocative power: unlike the Planning Commission's plan grants, it transfers no funds; leverage rests with the Finance Commission and Ministries [1].
• Deliberation over resolution: recurring State demands — devolution shares, cess-surcharge exclusion — recur because the GC cannot decide them.
• Episodic and political: roughly annual meetings, with boycotts by several Opposition-ruled States at the 9th GCM (July 2024), weaken continuity [5].
• Uneven capacity: State-level institutions to convert GC agendas into delivery remain thin.

The GC is thus a genuine forum of dialogue federalism rather than bargaining federalism — indispensable for consensus, insufficient for allocation. Statutory backing, more frequent sectoral sittings, and public Action Taken Reports would convert persuasion into accountable outcomes. Strengthened so, the Council can make Article 263's spirit of consultation the operative engine of Viksit Bharat @2047.