The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) was formed in 2015. NITI Aayog is the premier policy think tank of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs. NITI Aayog replaces the Planning Commission instituted in 1950 in order to better serve the needs and aspirations of the people of India. NITI Aayog acts as the quintessential platform of the Government of India to bring states to act together in the national interest, and thereby fosters cooperative federalism.