The government has reconstituted the Niti Aayog, appointing former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba as a full-time member, a move seen as strengthening the institution’s administrative and reform-oriented approach to policy formulation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the policy body has emerged as a vital pillar in India’s governance architecture, fostering cooperative federalism, advancing reforms and improving ‘Ease of Living’. He extended his best wishes to Gauba and other appointees for a productive tenure.
Gauba, a 1982-batch Indian Administrative Service officer, is widely regarded for his long administrative career spanning governance reforms, national security strategy, urban transformation and crisis management. He served as India’s Cabinet Secretary from 2019 to 2024, becoming the country’s longest-serving top bureaucrat. In this role, he was responsible for strategic leadership of the civil services, ensuring inter-ministerial coordination and driving execution of key national priorities.
During his tenure, Gauba played a central role in managing India’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, while simultaneously steering reforms aimed at improving Ease of Doing Business, reducing compliance burdens and decriminalising minor offences. His tenure is also associated with strengthening systems for programme implementation across ministries.
Earlier, as Union Home Secretary between 2017 and 2019, Gauba was closely involved in shaping and implementing major national security decisions, including the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. He also contributed to the formulation of the National Action Plan to Combat Left Wing Extremism.
As Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development, he led flagship urban missions including Smart Cities, AMRUT and Swachh Bharat Urban, focusing on governance reforms and infrastructure improvement in cities. His stint as Chief Secretary of Jharkhand is noted for governance transformation that helped the state rise sharply in Ease of Doing Business rankings.
Gauba’s international exposure includes serving as Senior Adviser to the Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund from 2001 to 2005.
The government has appointed economist Ashok Kumar Lahiri as Vice Chairman and several other experts as full-time members, underscoring an effort to blend administrative experience with domain expertise in the country’s premier policy think tank. |
