Govt appoints Parameswaran Iyer as new CEO of NITI Aayog

The government has designated Parameswaran Iyer as the next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NITI Aayog to succeed Amitabh Kant, whose tenure ends on June 30. Iyer has been designated for two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier, on the same periods and conditions as were applicable in respect of Shri Amitabh Kant, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet said in a notification on Friday. An IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, Parameswaran Iyer, had led the government's Swachh Bharat Mission between 2016 and 2020. Before joining the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in 2016, Iyer had worked in China, Egypt, Vietnam, Lebanon, and Washington for the World Bank. In 2020, Iyer resigned from the job position and returned to the US to enter the World Bank again. Kant was designated as the CEO of the NITI Aayog on February 17, 2016, for two years. Since then, he got three extensions to the term. Kant is credited with determining a long public sector enterprises list for disinvestment and asset monetisation. He was instrumental in preparing the production-linked incentive scheme for over a dozen sectors and the national monetisation pipeline, which has laid a roadmap for the government over the following six years. During his long term at NITI Aayog, Kant spearheaded several key programmes, including the government's electric mobility mission, the aspirational district programme, the comfort of doing the business programme, the Start-up India programme, and the island development programme. He was currently performing on the Circular Economy across six sectors. Image Source Also read: Niti Aayog proposes relaxation of building bye-laws