Centre appoints senior IAS officer Anurag Jain as NITI Aayog CEO
The Centre has appointed senior IAS officer Anurag Jain as the new chief executive officer of NITI Aayog. The move comes after a wider leadership reshuffle at the policy think tank during a busy year for its reform agenda.
- Jul 23, 2026,
- Updated Jul 23, 2026, 8:39 AM IST
Senior IAS officer Anurag Jain has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog following approval by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), according to an official order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
Jain, a 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, will assume charge with immediate effect. He will serve until the completion of his approved extension in service and thereafter for an overall period of two years, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. His appointment will be on the same terms and conditions as those applicable to his predecessor.
During his administrative career, Jain has held several key positions in both the Central and Madhya Pradesh governments.
The appointment comes months after the Centre reconstituted NITI Aayog's leadership. In April, economist Ashok Kumar Lahiri was named the Vice-Chairperson, replacing Suman K Bery. Rajiv Gauba, Professor KV Raju, Professor Gobardhan Das, Dr M Srinivas and Professor Abhay Karandikar were also appointed as full-time members.
NITI Aayog has remained at the centre of several policy initiatives this year. Gujarat recently topped the organisation's first Investment Friendliness Index 2026 with a score of 56.6, ahead of Maharashtra (53.7) and Tamil Nadu (53.3), among 17 major states.
The index assesses states across 84 indicators grouped under eight pillars, including governance, infrastructure, business facilitation and fiscal management. It aims to encourage reforms and strengthen investment ecosystems while promoting competitive and cooperative federalism in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
Earlier, on June 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 11th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi. The meeting, themed Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat @2047, was attended by Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors and Administrators representing 28 states and five Union Territories. It also marked the first time that Chief Ministers from all 28 states participated in the Governing Council meeting.