Senior IAS officer Anurag Jain takes over as NITI Aayog CEO

New Delhi: Federal think tank NITI Aayog saw a new CEO take charge on Monday — Anurag Jain, former secretary to the ministry of road transport and highways, and former chief secretary of the Madhya Pradesh government.

Jain had previously (September 2021-April 2023) held the position of secretary, department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT), under the Union ministry of commerce and industry.

A 1989-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, Jain succeeds B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, whose tenure ended in February. Jain’s name was announced as Subrahmanyam’s successor on 25 July.

Jain’s tenure as Madhya Pradesh chief secretary was scheduled to end on 31 August. The appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC) approved his appointment for a two-year term, effective from the date he assumes charge.

Jain’s appointment is expected to strengthen coordination between the Centre and states, and support the government’s development priorities.

Welcoming Jain

On Monday, NITI Aayog posted on its ‘X’ handle: “NITI Aayog welcomes Shri Anurag Jain as the new Chief Executive Officer. Senior IAS officer Nidhi Chhibber, Director General of the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office, had been serving as interim CEO after Subrahmanyam demitted office. Shri Anurag Jain, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, brings with him nearly four decades of experience in public administration and policymaking.”

An IIT-Kharagpur alumnus with a B.Tech (Honours) in Electrical Engineering, Jain earned a Master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School in the US.

The Centre reconstituted NITI Aayog in April this year. Ashok Kumar Lahiri, former chief economic advisor and a member of the 15th finance commission, was appointed as vice-chairman, replacing Suman K. Bery.

Others appointed

Other full-time members who were appointed included noted economist K.V. Raju; AIIMS director M. Srinivas; Abhay Karandikar, secretary, department of science and technology; and Gobardhan Das, director of the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, Bhopal.

Constituted through a resolution of the Union cabinet on 1 January 2015, NITI Aayog serves as the government’s apex policy think tank, mandated to provide directional and policy inputs.

In addition to formulating long-term strategies, policies, and programmes for the government of India, NITI Aayog offers strategic and technical advice to the Centre, state governments, and Union territories. It functions as an institutional platform to foster cooperative federalism by facilitating collaborative engagement among the States in pursuit of national development objectives.