What do you understand by evidence based policy making? In your view, how NITI Aayog would provide a good platform for a shift towards evidence-informed policy making?

Evidence-informed policymaking is an approach that aims to integrate the best available scientific evidence into the design of public policies. By leveraging the power of this approach; governments can reduce wasteful spending, expand innovative programs, and strengthen accountability.
NITI Aayog is mandated to work towards furthering cooperative federalism. It can also promote evidence based policy making by ensuring that a policy innovation from any state, regardless of the party in power, gets due attention and becomes a template for other states as long as it is backed by rigorous scientific evidence. In policy areas where evidence is scarce, the NITI Aayog can actively promote collaborations between policymakers and researchers by funding and rigorously testing policy innovations at the pilot stage, before recommending them for scale. This comes from a realization that despite decades of effort in designing and implementing anti-poverty programmes, there is little consensus on the most effective strategies for improving the lives of the poor. Reflecting this thought, the World Development Report 2015, the flagship report of the World Bank, focuses on mind, society and behavior and makes a strong case for the application of behavioral science in development.