Senior IAS officer Anurag Jain has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his appointment, 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 governed by the same terms and conditions as those applicable to his predecessor.
During his administrative career, Jain has held several important assignments in both the Central Government and the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
His appointment comes months after the Centre reconstituted the leadership of NITI Aayog. In April, economist Ashok Kumar Lahiri was appointed Vice-Chairperson, succeeding Suman K. Bery. Rajiv Gauba, Professor K.V. Raju, Professor Gobardhan Das, Dr M. Srinivas and Professor Abhay Karandikar were also inducted as full-time members.
NITI Aayog has remained at the forefront of several policy initiatives this year. Gujarat recently secured the top position in the organisation’s inaugural Investment Friendliness Index 2026 with a score of 56.6, followed by Maharashtra (53.7) and Tamil Nadu (53.3) among 17 major states.
The index evaluates states across 84 indicators under eight pillars, including governance, infrastructure, business facilitation and fiscal management. It is designed to encourage reforms, strengthen investment ecosystems and promote 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. Held under the theme Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat @2047, the meeting was attended by Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors and Administrators representing 28 states and five Union Territories. It also marked the first Governing Council meeting attended by Chief Ministers from all 28 states.
