The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), the premier policy think tank of the Government of India, has awarded its digital mandate to Avian Media following a competitive multi-agency pitch. Avian Media’s work will include digital amplification, social media management, and website development.

Commenting on the win, Nitin Mantri, chief executive officer, Avian Media, said: “We are honoured that a prestigious institution like NITI Aayog has chosen us as their digital partner. We have immense admiration for the work NITI Aayog has been doing to achieve sustainable development goals and foster cooperative federalism. Through our digital work, we would like to support NITI Aayog’s dream of building a 'New India'.”

This is a very unusual communications mandate, involves as it does the government's top think tank, set up in place of the Planning Commission. NITI Aayog is actively involved in policy inputs. Recently, NITI Aayog officials fronted a press conference to explain the Government's most ambitious pro - poor scheme, a massive health insurance cover roll out announced in Budget 2018. It has, according to news reports, in another first for a government think tank, also written the National Medical Commission Bill, which controversially has provisions to allow alternative medicine doctors to prescribe alleopathic medicine.

Palin Ningthoujam, head of EXPD, the digital and content marketing practice of Avian Media, said: “NITI Aayog is a forward-looking organisation, fast-paced and is involved in an extensive number of areas and initiatives. Our aim is to make NITI Aayog one of India’s most-engaged government departments through meaningful and sustained dialogue around key issues. We will deploy latest digital know-how, tools, and formats to achieve this.”