PM Modi to Meet NITI Aayog Leadership on November 5 to Shape FY28 Budget Priorities
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet the new leadership of NITI Aayog on 5 November 2026, as the government begins shaping its priorities for the 2027-28 Union Budget. The meeting brings the Prime Minister, who chairs the Aayog, together with its vice chairman, chief executive officer and members for a first-hand review of the issues each of them is working on, at a time when the government is looking to sustain growth, strengthen domestic manufacturing and expand employment despite global uncertainty.
NITI Aayog vice chairman Ashok Lahiri, chief executive officer Anurag Jain and members Rajiv Gauba, R Balasubramaniam, Joram Aniya, K V Raju, M Srinivas, Gobardhan Das and Abhay Karandikar are expected to attend, along with other senior officials. According to a senior Aayog official, each member is expected to make a short two-slide presentation on the issues and policies they are handling, in line with the government’s vision of a developed India by 2047. The Prime Minister is expected to hear from the sectoral experts appointed as members so that he can understand developments and requirements in their respective sectors.
The timing of the meeting matters because the government’s Budget exercise for 2027-28 is now getting under way. Reports of the meeting say the Prime Minister is likely to review the Aayog’s work in relation to the country’s long-term development objectives, with domestic manufacturing, infrastructure expansion and job creation among the themes in focus. The discussions come amid geopolitical uncertainty, and the emphasis, as reported, is on keeping growth on track while building India’s manufacturing strength and creating more employment opportunities.
NITI Aayog, which replaced the Planning Commission in January 2015, is the government’s principal policy think tank. It works with states and central ministries on long-term policy, and its leadership plays a central role in shaping the government’s economic agenda. The Prime Minister chairs the institution, and its members bring experience from administration, academia and sectoral policymaking. A meeting of the full new leadership early in the Budget cycle therefore sets the tone for the policy priorities that will feed into the coming months of Budget preparation.
The Viksit Bharat 2047 vision runs through the agenda. The Aayog’s work is framed around taking India to developed-country status by the centenary of Independence, and the members’ presentations are expected to reflect that long-term direction. For readers, the practical significance of the 5 November meeting is that it marks the point at which the government’s top policy body aligns its work with the next Budget — the document that will set spending, manufacturing incentives and employment programmes for 2027-28. Further details of the discussions are expected to emerge after the meeting.
