Anurag Jain, a 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, took charge as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog on Monday. According to reports from Mint, Jain's name was announced as Subrahmanyam's successor on 25 July, with the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approving his appointment for a two-year term, effective from the date he assumes charge. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his appointment earlier this year, with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issuing the official order. The appointment brings nearly four decades of experience in public administration, governance and policymaking to one of the key positions in the government's policy think tank. Jain succeeds BVR Subrahmanyam, with Nidhi Chhibber, director general of NITI Aayog's Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), having held additional charge of CEO after Subrahmanyam's tenure ended in February 2026.
Jain is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, where he completed a BTech (Honours) in Electrical Engineering. As reported by Mint, he later earned a master's degree in public administration from the Maxwell School in the United States. Jain began his administrative career in Madhya Pradesh as an assistant collector in Sagar in 1990, subsequently serving as collector of Mandla, Mandsaur and Bhopal. He was secretary to then Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in 2005 and later served as secretary, Information Technology. Jain's appointment is expected to strengthen coordination between the Centre and states, and support the government's development priorities.
According to Mint, Jain moved to the Centre in 2011 as joint secretary in the Department of Financial Services, where he was credited with conceptualising and implementing the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. He later served as joint secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) from 2015 to 2018. Jain subsequently served as vice-chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) before becoming secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in September 2021, a position he held until April 2023, before taking charge as secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Jain's tenure as Madhya Pradesh chief secretary was scheduled to end on 31 August, but his appointment to NITI Aayog preceded this term completion.
As reported by Mint, Jain returned to Madhya Pradesh as chief secretary on October 3, 2024, where he was involved in framing nearly 30 sector-specific investment policies covering different areas of trade and industry. The Centre granted him a one-year extension in service in 2025. His official profile credits him as the 'prime mover' behind the enactment of the Public Service Delivery Management Act in Madhya Pradesh during his tenure as secretary to the chief minister. Jain's extensive experience in infrastructure, industrial policy, administration and economic development is expected to add further depth to NITI Aayog's work on policy formulation and implementation.
As CEO, Jain will play a key role in supporting the government's development priorities and strengthening coordination between the Centre and states. According to Mint, NITI Aayog posted on its 'X' handle: "NITI Aayog welcomes Shri Anurag Jain as the new Chief Executive Officer." The appointment comes as part of broader leadership changes at NITI Aayog, with Economist Ashok Kumar Lahiri appointed as Vice Chairperson in April, replacing Suman K Bery. This dual leadership structure positions NITI Aayog for enhanced policy coordination and implementation across multiple government levels. The Centre reconstituted NITI Aayog in April this year, with Ashok Kumar Lahiri, former chief economic advisor and a member of the 15th finance commission, appointed as vice-chairman. 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.
