Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reconstituted NITI (National Institution of Transforming India) with the appointment of noted economist, Ashok Lahiri as Vice-Chairman and four new full-time members. Former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has been retained as a full-time member.
Prime Minister is the ex officio chairman of NITI.
“His rich experience in economics and public policy will greatly strengthen India’s reform journey and the journey towards becoming a Viksit Bharat. I am confident his efforts will further energise policymaking in our nation,” Modi said in a social media post while announcing the reconstitution.
Further, he said the 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.
Lahiri will replace Suman Berry and his appointment will be valid from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders. There is no fixed term for the Vice-Chairman. As on date Lahiri is an outgoing MLA in the West Bengal assembly. Elected on a BJP ticket, he represents Balurghat (Dakshin Dinajpur) assembly constituency.
Lahiri, a well-known economist, served as a member of the 15th Finance Commission. Earlier, he worked as as 12th Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, reader at the Delhi School of Economics (DSE), Chairman of Bandhan Bank, Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank, and Director of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP). He has had stints with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as a Consultant and Senior Economist, respectively.
Apart from Lahiri, four new members include K V Raju, Gobardhan Das, Abhay Karandikar and M Srinivas. Raju is currently part-time Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. Also, he is Economic Advisor to the UP government. Earlier he worked as Economic Advisor to the Karnataka Chief Minister. Das is the Director of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISER Bhopal). Prior to assuming this position, he was a Professor and Chair of the Special Centre for Molecular Medicine at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Karandikar is currently Secretary, Department of Science & Technology (DST). Before joining DST in October 2023, he served as Director IIT. He also served as Dean (Faculty Affairs) and Head of the Electrical Engineering Department at IIT Bombay. He was a founding member and former Chairman of TSDSI. He was also Member (Part-Time) of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Srinivas is the Director of AIIMS. He joined AIIMS in 1994 and ascended the academic ladder to become Professor of Paediatric Surgery in 2011. He has authored around 200 research papers and has trained thousands of undergraduate and postgraduate medical students. His administrative experience includes development of new medical colleges under the ESI Corporation and has contributed to initiation of more than 10 new medical colleges and started post-graduate and super speciality courses in these institutes. He is a distinguished member of 15 professional organisations.
Published on April 25, 2026