The Government of India has appointed senior IAS officer Anurag Jain as the new Chief Executive Officer of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, the country’s apex public policy think tank. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his appointment for a tenure of two years, succeeding Nidhi Chhibber, who was serving as interim CEO. Jain, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, was serving as the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh before this appointment.
Who Is Anurag Jain?
Born on August 11, 1965 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Anurag Jain completed his B.Tech (Honours) in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in 1986. He later earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School, Syracuse University, USA. His career in the Indian Administrative Service spans nearly four decades, marked by key postings in both the Madhya Pradesh government and the Government of India.
A Distinguished Administrative Career
Education and Early Career
Jain joined the IAS in 1989 and began his career as Assistant Collector in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh in June 1990. His early field postings included Kanker, Chhindwara, and Durg. He was first appointed as District Collector of Mandla in 1997, followed by tenures as Collector of Mandsaur and Bhopal.
Key State-Level Assignments
In the Madhya Pradesh government, Jain served as Secretary to the Chief Minister for over five years. He also held the position of Secretary, Information Technology, where he introduced e-tendering in government procurement to enhance transparency. In October 2024, he was appointed the 35th Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, the state’s highest bureaucratic post, succeeding Veera Rana. His term as Chief Secretary was later extended till August 31, 2026.
Key Central Government Roles
Jain has held several strategically important positions at the Centre. From 2011 to 2015, he served as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He later served as Vice Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Prior to returning to Madhya Pradesh, he was Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), and Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Major Contributions to Governance
Anurag Jain is among those rare bureaucrats who have been involved in designing and implementing some of India’s most transformative policy initiatives.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
During his tenure in the Ministry of Finance, Jain played a crucial role in conceptualising and implementing the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). Launched in August 2014, this flagship financial inclusion programme aimed to provide every household access to banking services. It is now recognised as the world’s largest financial inclusion programme, with over 50 crore beneficiaries.
PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan
As Secretary, DPIIT, Jain was instrumental in designing and implementing the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, a transformative infrastructure initiative launched in October 2021. This digital platform integrates the planning and execution efforts of 18 ministries to enable multimodal connectivity and reduce logistics costs. The initiative received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in 2023, and Jain received the award on behalf of the team.
Public Service Guarantee Act
During his tenure in the Madhya Pradesh government, Jain played a pivotal role in conceptualising the Public Service Guarantee Act, a landmark governance reform that introduced time-bound delivery of citizen services. The legislation was later replicated by nearly 15 states across India.
What Is NITI Aayog?
Establishment and Mandate
The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog was established on January 1, 2015 through a resolution of the Union Cabinet, replacing the erstwhile Planning Commission. Unlike the Planning Commission, which followed a top-down, command-economy model, NITI Aayog was designed as a policy think tank to foster cooperative federalism through a bottom-up approach.
Its core mandate includes evolving a shared vision of national development priorities, formulating long-term policy frameworks, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, and monitoring the implementation of programmes and initiatives. NITI Aayog is headquartered in New Delhi and comes under the Ministry of Planning.
Structure and Composition
The Prime Minister of India serves as the ex-officio Chairperson of NITI Aayog. The body also includes:
| Position | Role |
|---|---|
| Vice Chairperson | Appointed by the PM (currently Ashok Lahiri) |
| Governing Council | Chief Ministers of all States and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories |
| Regional Councils | Address specific regional issues |
| Full-time Members | Experts from various fields |
| Ex-officio Members | Key Union Ministers |
| Chief Executive Officer (CEO) | Heads administration, rank of Secretary to Government of India (now Anurag Jain) |
Key affiliated bodies under NITI Aayog include the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), and the National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development (NILERD).
Recent Changes
Before Jain’s appointment, B.V.R. Subrahmanyam served as CEO from February 2023 to February 2026, with a one-year extension. After his tenure ended, Nidhi Chhibber, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre and Director General of DMEO, was given additional charge as interim CEO in February 2026. The government had also appointed economist Ashok Kumar Lahiri as the Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog in April 2026, replacing Suman K. Bery.
The Way Forward
As the new CEO, Anurag Jain will oversee NITI Aayog’s role in driving the government’s Viksit Bharat vision, promoting cooperative and competitive federalism, and advancing evidence-based policymaking. His experience across infrastructure, finance, industrial policy, and governance reforms positions him well to coordinate policy implementation across ministries and states.
Key Takeaways
- Anurag Jain, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the CEO of NITI Aayog for a tenure of two years.
- The appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) and he succeeds Nidhi Chhibber, who was serving as the interim CEO.
- Jain served as the 35th Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh before this appointment and has previously held key central roles including Joint Secretary in the PMO, Secretary of DPIIT, and Secretary of Road Transport and Highways.
- He played a key role in designing and implementing PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, and received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in 2023.
- NITI Aayog was established on January 1, 2015 replacing the Planning Commission, with the Prime Minister as its ex-officio Chairperson and headquarters in New Delhi.
