NITI Aayog reconstituted: Ashok Lahiri appointed Vice Chairman

The Union government on 25 April 2026 reconstituted NITI Aayog, the Centre's premier policy think tank. Former Chief Economic Adviser Ashok Kumar Lahiri has been named the new Vice Chairman, replacing the previous incumbent. A Cabinet Secretariat order also notified five new full-time members, while only one earlier full-time member, the former Cabinet Secretary, has been retained.

The new full-time members include economist K. V. Raju, scientist Gobardhan Das, Director of AIIMS Dr. M. Srinivas and the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology Abhay Karandikar. NITI Aayog's ex-officio members continue to be drawn from the Union Cabinet, with the Prime Minister as Chairperson.

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) was set up in January 2015 as a successor to the Planning Commission. It is not a constitutional or statutory body; it functions as a policy advisory body that promotes cooperative federalism through the Governing Council of state Chief Ministers and lieutenant governors. It also runs flagship indices such as the SDG India Index, the Health Index and the Aspirational Districts Programme.

Ashok Kumar Lahiri served as Chief Economic Adviser between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of the 15th Finance Commission. He is currently a sitting Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from West Bengal. The reset is being read as a signal that the Centre wants fresh expertise on the body as it begins drafting the next Vision Document and inputs for the 16th Finance Commission cycle.

Exam angle: UPSC and State PCS aspirants must remember that NITI Aayog is an executive-resolution body (not statutory), set up on 1 January 2015. Vice Chairman holds Cabinet Minister rank. Composition includes a Chairperson (PM), Vice Chairman, full-time members, ex-officio members, special invitees and a CEO.