New Delhi, India, The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of senior IAS officer Anurag Jain as Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog, the Government of India’s apex public-policy institution. Jain, a 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, is currently serving as Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh and will assume the new responsibility from the date he takes charge.
According to the official Department of Personnel and Training order, Jain will serve as CEO through his approved period of extension in government service and thereafter for an overall tenure of two years, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. His appointment will be governed by the same terms and conditions that applied to his predecessor. Jain will succeed the interim arrangement under which Nidhi Chhibber, Director General of NITI Aayog’s Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office, was holding additional charge following the completion of B.V.R. Subrahmanyam’s tenure in February 2026.
Jain brings more than three decades of administrative experience spanning central and state governments. He has served as Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh since 2024, overseeing the state administration and coordinating the implementation of development programmes, governance reforms and investment initiatives. His experience working at both levels of government is expected to support NITI Aayog’s mandate of promoting cooperative federalism and strengthening coordination between the Centre and states.
Before returning to Madhya Pradesh, Jain held several senior positions in the Union government. He served as Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, where his responsibilities covered industrial policy, investment promotion, ease-of-doing-business initiatives and engagement with domestic and international investors. He also served as Secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and previously worked as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office.
As CEO, Jain will oversee NITI Aayog’s policy research, strategic planning and engagement with Union ministries, state governments, industry and other stakeholders. He will also support work across economic development, infrastructure, technology, sustainability, social-sector reforms and the monitoring of national development priorities.
Established in 2015, NITI Aayog serves as the Government of India’s principal public-policy think tank. It provides strategic and technical advice to the Centre and states, develops long-term policy frameworks and promotes cooperative and competitive federalism to advance India’s economic and social-development goals.
