Marking a significant shift in energy inside NITI Aayog, key safety, infrastructure, and power ministries have been moved beneath former Cupboard Secretary Rajiv Gauba, who was appointed full-time Member on March 25, paperwork accessed by The Indian Specific present.
Gauba — as soon as essentially the most highly effective IAS officer within the nation — now oversees 17 ministries and departments, the very best amongst his colleagues at India’s apex public coverage assume tank chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He’s adopted by Arvind Virmani (11), VK Paul (10), VK Saraswat (9), Ramesh Chand (6), and Vice Chairperson Suman Bery (5). NITI Aayog Members play an essential function in helping the Centre design insurance policies and schemes.
As per the April 4 order, NITI programme administrators (PD) should first route Cupboard Notes to the involved Member for inputs, then to the CEO, who forwards them to the Vice Chairperson for closing approval.
Previous to the reshuffle on April 4, Bery held a complete of eight portfolios — Prime Minister’s Workplace (PMO), Cupboard Affairs, Ministry of Residence Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Ministry of Growth of North Jap Area (MDoNER), Ministry of Info and Broadcasting (MIB), Ministry of Tourism, and Ministry of Tradition.
Now, Bery holds 5 portfolios, with MHA and personnel ministry transferred to Gauba, who has earlier served as Union Residence Secretary between 2017 and 2019. The Cupboard Affairs portfolio was eliminated altogether, and MDoNER transferred to Saraswat. Bery, who signed off on the brand new allocations, additionally received the Division of Financial Affairs beneath the Ministry of Finance.
Gauba, who has been India’s longest serving Cupboard Secretary — for 5 years between August 2019 and 2024, everything of PM Modi’s second time period — obtained a complete of 9 allocations beforehand beneath Saraswat, the oldest NITI Aayog Member since 2015. These embrace ministries of defence, coal, energy, new and renewable power, petroleum and pure gasoline, railways, civil aviation, street transport and highways, and ports, delivery and waterways.
The NITI Aayog didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Along with MDoNER transferred from Bery, Saraswat, former head of Defence Analysis and Growth Organisation (DRDO), retained ministries of earth sciences, science and know-how, communications, electronics and data know-how, mines, and heavy industries. He has additionally been given beforehand unallocated departments of atomic power and house.
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From Virmani — NITI’s most up-to-date Member earlier than Gauba, appointed in 2022 — the ministries of exterior affairs and housing and concrete affairs had been reassigned to Gauba, who had earlier served as Union Housing Secretary.
Regardless of the switch, Virmani’s portfolio expanded from 9 to eleven, as he retained the Division of Commerce and the ministries of finance (excluding the Division of Financial Affairs), statistics and programme implementation, abroad Indian affairs, labour and employment, company affairs, and ability improvement and entrepreneurship.
Virmani additionally gained the Division for Promotion of Business and Inside Commerce (DPIIT) and the ministries of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), metal, and textiles — all beforehand beneath Saraswat. He earlier served as Chief Financial Advisor to the finance ministry (2007–2009) and after that as an Government Director on the Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF), representing India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
Gauba was additionally transferred ministries of shopper affairs, meals and public distribution, rural improvement, panchayati raj, and surroundings, forest and local weather change from Chand, Member since 2015. Chand retained ministries of agriculture and farmers’ welfare and meals processing industries, and departments of chemical substances and fertilizers. He additionally obtained cost of beforehand unallocated ministries of cooperation and animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries.
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Chand, beforehand Chairperson of the Institute of Financial Development and Member of the Fifteenth Finance Fee, additionally misplaced ministries of jal shakti and youth affairs and sports activities to Paul, who retained all of his earlier allocations. These embrace the Division of Prescription drugs and ministries of well being and household welfare, ayush, ladies and little one improvement, training, social justice and empowerment, minority affairs, and tribal affairs. Paul, a famend public well being knowledgeable and former school at AIIMS, New Delhi, was appointed NITI Member in 2017.
The Ministry of Regulation and Justice was additionally moved out of Chand’s portfolio. As per the April 4 order, NITI Aayog’s Regulation Vertical was reallocated to CEO BVR Subrahmanyam. The CEO retained authority over work regarding the State Help Mission and the Voluntary Motion Cell, which offers with growing engagement between civil society teams and the federal government.
As well as, Subrahmanyam was additionally entrusted with key flagship initiatives, just like the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) and the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP), and work regarding the Governing Council Secretariat and Coordination. He was appointed CEO in February 2023.
As per the April 4 order, NITI programme administrators (PD) should first route Cupboard Notes to the involved Member for inputs, then to the CEO, who forwards them to the Vice Chairperson for closing approval.
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The final main reshuffling of portfolios occurred in December 2022, quickly after Virmani joined NITI Aayog as Member.