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The Centre appointed Joram Aniya and R. Balasubramaniam as full-time members of the NITI Aayog, increasing its membership to seven. Aniya is an experienced academician and the first Nyishi woman with a PhD, while Balasubramaniam is a public policy expert and founder of notable organisations.
Centre names R. Balasubramaniam, Joram Aniya as full-time NITI Aayog members (Image: PTI)The Centre on Saturday appointed academician Joram Aniya and scholar-author R. Balasubramaniam as full-time members of the NITI Aayog, increasing the number of such members in the government think tank to seven, alongside a vice-chairperson. Prime Minister Narendra Modi serves as the chairperson of the NITI Aayog.
"In continuation of the Cabinet Secretariat's notification dated 24.04.2026, the prime minister has approved the appointment of the following persons as full-time members of the NITI Aayog with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders, on the same terms and conditions as are applicable to full-time members: (i) Dr R Balasubramaniam; (ii) Dr Joram Aniya," PTI quoted a notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat.
While congratulating Dr. R. Balasubramaniam and Dr. Joram Aniya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said their extensive experience will bolster policy making and wished them for their upcoming journey at NITI Aayog as full time members.
PM Modi said on X, “Congratulations to Dr. R. Balasubramaniam Ji and Dr. Joram Aniya Ji on being appointed as Full-time Members of NITI Aayog. Their rich experience and deep understanding of various issues will greatly strengthen policy making. I am confident their contributions will help drive innovation and growth across sectors. Wishing them a very productive and impactful tenure ahead.”
Who is Dr Joram Aniya?
An experienced academician and associate professor, Aniya also serves on the Arunachal Pradesh Private Educational Regulatory Commission and has over 18 years of experience in teaching, research, and public policy work. She is the first woman from the Nyishi community to receive a PhD and the first in the state to do so in Hindi, and has made notable contributions to literature, culture, and indigenous knowledge systems.
Aniya has also authored and edited several books on Nyishi literature and culture, along with publishing numerous research papers.
According to the report citing sources, the addition of Aniya in the think tank as full time member was viewed as a significant milestone, as it introduced a prominent intellectual from Arunachal Pradesh into the country’s top decision-making platform.
Who is Dr R Balasubramaniam?
Scholar-author Balasubramaniam is known as a public policy expert and development activist. A trained medical doctor, he founded the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM) and the Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM).
He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.
Meanwhile, on April 24, during a major reorganisation of the NITI Aayog, the government appointed Ashok Kumar Lahiri as vice-chairman and named economist KV Raju, AIIMS Director M. Srinivas, Science and Technology Secretary Abhay Karandikar, scientist Gobardhan Das, and former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba as full-time members.
PM Modi said he met Prof. Gobardhan Das and was inspired by his life journey, noting that the challenges he faced only deepened his resolve to serve society and work toward reducing suffering. He added that this spirit is evident in his contributions to public health and immunology, and that his extensive academic work and expertise would strengthen the country’s policymaking framework.
Prof. Das expressed his commitment to serve with honesty, dedication, and full responsibility toward achieving the Prime Minister’s vision of a developed India. He also said that it is only under the leadership of PM Modi that a person from a marginalised farming background has been given such recognition and honour.
"Today, it is a matter of pride for every citizen of Bengal that a simple person like me has been given the opportunity to serve as a member of NITI Aayog. With your blessings, the entire Bengal is feeling immensely proud. For this, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, I am deeply grateful to you," he said in a post on X in Hindi.
(With inputs from PTI)
About the Author
Garvit Bhirani
Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X
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