Anurag Jain Appointed CEO of NITI Aayog
IAS officer Anurag Jain, outgoing Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, has been named CEO of NITI Aayog for two years.
Anurag Jain, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and until this week the state's Chief Secretary, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog for two years, according to an order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
NITI Aayog is the Union government's central policy think tank, replacing the erstwhile Planning Commission, and its CEO runs the day-to-day working of the institution while coordinating with state governments and central ministries on flagship reforms. The role has become a springboard position for senior officers nearing the end of their service, typically extended once or twice beyond their date of superannuation.
Jain assumed charge as Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh on October 3, 2024, and after retiring from service in 2025 was granted a one-year extension that was due to run until August 31, 2026. Through his career he has held postings spanning both the state government in Bhopal and the Centre, with assignments touching infrastructure, industrial policy and investment promotion.
He leaves behind the Chief Secretary's post in Madhya Pradesh after roughly two years in the role, a tenure that overlapped with the state's push on industrial investment and welfare scheme delivery under Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
His appointment fills a post that had been held on an additional-charge basis by Nidhi Chibber following the exit of B V R Subrahmanyam, and comes as the government pushes its Viksit Bharat @2047 agenda through the Aayog's Governing Council, which brings together the Prime Minister and all chief ministers.
As CEO, Jain will be expected to keep the institution's policy recommendations moving on economic reform, digital governance and infrastructure even as friction between the Centre and some states over cooperative federalism continues to surface at Governing Council meetings.
The order states that Jain's appointment takes effect from the date he assumes charge and will run on the same terms and conditions that applied to his predecessor.
