Longest Serving Cab Sec Rajiv Gauba Gets Ready To Join Niti Aayog

Gauba is expected to strengthen the bridge between the Prime Minister’s Office and Niti Aayog.

The longest serving Cabinet Secretary had stepped down in August last year, after being in office from August 2019 to August 2024. Considered as one of the most able officers, his tenure was extended as many as four times.

“It does not come as a surprise, there was always a buzz that he (Gauba) will be given another important role, especially with age being on his side,” an official source on condition of anonymity told The Secretariat.

Among other things, the senior officer had overseen the implementation of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 following the abrogation of the special status of the Himalayan state under Article 370.

As member at Niti Aayog, the 1982-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cardre would be expected to frame effective policies, amid slowing economic growth and multiplying challenges in India and outside.

With Gauba joining the government’s think-tank, there will be four full-time members. Besides Gauba, Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Ramesh Chand and Vinod Paul are the other full-time members. Suman Bery is currently officiating as Vice-Chairperson of the think-tank, while BVR Subrahmanyam, former Commerce Secretary, is its CEO.

Sources said that Gauba could well be assigned specific knotty projects and committees to prescribe effective policies that boost the economy. They added that the “exact nature of his role will be clear in the next few days”.

With the appointment of Gauba as Niti Aayog member, political pundits will be carefully monitoring his role and his specific areas of focus.

Gauba Wore Many Hats

Gauba, who wore many hats during his career, had also served as private secretary to then Defence Minister George Fernandes. In 2015, he was appointed Jharkhand’s Chief Secretary, where he is credited with effortlessly spearheading socio-economic initiatives.

He is known for his able handling of emergency situations, which include his handling of the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, just after Gauba had joined the service. His acumen in handling district level administration too won him many accolades.

Before being elevated as Cabinet Secretary, Gauba was serving as the Home Secretary.