NEW DELHI : A 22-member student delegation from Arunachal Pradesh University (APU), Pasighat, created history on Saturday by becoming the first student group in the country to undertake an official study visit to NITI Aayog, India’s premier public policy think tank, as part of an educational tour to the national capital.

The delegation, accompanied by faculty escort Ngurang Mana and staff member Jumkar Nada, participated in an interactive session at the NITI Aayog headquarters. The session was chaired by NITI Aayog Member Dr Joram Aniya, while Maj Gen K Narayanan (AVSM) welcomed the students. NITI Aayog Officer on Special Duty Lt Col Jitendra Verma moderated the session and provided an overview of the institution’s role in policy formulation and governance.

In her concluding address, Dr Aniya encouraged the students to become active partners in implementing government welfare schemes after returning to their communities. She said NITI Aayog’s continuous endeavour is to improve the lives of every citizen and stressed that while policymakers formulate welfare programmes, their effective implementation at the grassroots depends on public participation.

She noted that the developmental initiatives currently benefiting Arunachal Pradesh were the result of sustained efforts over the years and urged the students to contribute towards ensuring that government schemes reached villages and intended beneficiaries, particularly women and other vulnerable sections of society.

The delegation later visited the state-of-the-art Viksit Bharat Strategy Room, where the students explored live digital governance platforms and were briefed on the Lighthouse Model, a framework used to identify, replicate and scale successful governance innovations across states.

The visit concluded with an exchange of mementoes between the delegation and NITI Aayog officials, marking what university authorities described as a landmark moment for Arunachal Pradesh University and higher education in the state.