Race for NITI Aayog CEO begins with MP CS Anurag Jain being considered frontrunner

 The race for the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NITI Aayog has begun. If sources are to be believed, there are three Secretary-rank IAS officers whose names are doing rounds for the coveted position, with Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Anurag Jain (IAS:1989:MP) emerging as the frontrunner.

Ever since B.V.R. Subrahmanyam (IAS:1987:CG) completed his tenure as CEO on February 24, 2026, the position of a full-time incumbent has remained vacant, with senior IAS officer Nidhi Chhibber (IAS:1994:CG) holding the additional charge of its CEO, besides serving as Director General of the Aayog’s Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO).

But bureaucratic circles indicate that the Centre now keenly wants to have a full-time CEO in order to drive policy implementation and strengthen coordination between the Union Government and states.

Among the names under serious consideration, Anurag Jain is widely seen as the frontrunner owing to his extensive experience in both state and central administration.

Jain is known for his technology-driven governance model, infrastructure planning expertise, and experience in implementing large-scale national initiatives. He is particularly known for driving the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, one of India’s most ambitious infrastructure integration projects.

Besides Jain, another name being cited in bureaucratic circles is that of IAS officer Nidhi Chhibber, who is currently serving as Secretary of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Director General of DMEO, NITI Aayog, with additional charge of its CEO.

Chhibber possesses extensive experience in governance, education, evaluation systems, and public policy and has already served as Additional Secretary and Adviser, NITI Aayog

With India pursuing the ambitious goal of Viksit Bharat, the appointment of a full-time CEO at NITI Aayog is being viewed as strategically crucial.

But this much is certain that until a final decision is announced, Nidhi Chhibber will continue to oversee the responsibilities of the office in addition to her existing assignments.