Kamal Ghorui
The govt has reconstituted Niti Aayog, appointing Ashok Lahiri as the new vice-chairman and four new members in the biggest overhaul of the thinktank since it was set up in 2015.AIIMS Delhi director M Srinivas has been named a member along with science and technology secretary Abhay Karandikar and Chanakya University professor emeritus K V Raju.Gobardhan Das, director of Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, who had contested the 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal on a BJP election ticket, has also been appointed a member, with Rajiv Gauba remaining the only member who was part of the previous team.A revamp of Niti Aayog has been discussed ever since NDA returned to office in 2024, as the thinktank bore a jaded look with very few fresh ideas emerging from the building which once housed the Planning Commission.The change began last month with BVR Subrahmanyam, who had been CEO for three years, leaving Niti Aayog. Who will be the new CEO is being actively discussed in policy circles, and school education secretary Sanjay Kumar is seen as a frontrunner.The new look of team has a mix of experts from sectors across the economy – from the medicine discipline to rural management.‘Need to frame proper policies to fulfil PM’s vision’Lahiri is a veteran economist with Raju, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to PM, specialising in agriculture, water and rural management.Srinvas is a specialist in health, while Karandikar will handle science and technology and Das immunology and health. Gauba’s rich experience in administration will provide critical inputs in policy formulation and revamp.“Improving the quality of life of remote areas, the farming community, and the general public is essential for the overall development of the country,” Das said in a post on X, while stating that it was a big opportunity for a Dalit coming from a family of farmers in West Bengal“It is PM Modi’s dream to make the nation a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047…To fulfil this vision, we need to ensure that proper policies are framed…I give credit to the earlier education policies of West Bengal, which played a big role in my appointment as the vice chairman of Niti Aayog…This is a big respect to the state of West Bengal,” Lahiri said after meeting PM.“Niti Aayog has emerged as a vital pillar in India’s policy-making architecture, fostering cooperative federalism, furthering reforms and boosting ‘Ease of Living.’ It serves as a dynamic platform for innovation and long-term strategic thinking across sectors,” PM Narendra Modi said in a post on X.
