Longest-serving ex-Cabinet Secretary Gauba returns to work as NITI Aayog member

Rajiv Gauba, the longest-serving former Cabinet Secretary, has returned to work for the government after a break of about seven months.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved his appointment as a full-time member of the NITI Aayog, Gauba will play a major role in steering policy as part of the government think tank.

Gauba had retired in August 2024 after a five-year stint as Cabinet Secretary, the longest-ever for any Cabinet Secretary in India’s history.

He will join the following leading people as NITI Aayog’s full time members—VK Saraswat (former DRDO Chief), Ramesh Chand (Agriculture Expert) and VK Paul (Public Health expert) and Arvind Virmani (Economist).

The reappointment of Gauba is a continuation of Prime Minister Modi’s policy of using the services of retired bureaucrats.

Earlier, Modi’s former Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra was elected chairman of the temple construction committee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in February 2020. The move was seen as part of the government strategy to keep a close engagement with the ambitious Ram Mandir project.

Recently the PM had appointed former Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das as his Principal Secretary-II.

Das demitted office in December 2024 and headed the Central bank during the Covid pandemic. This was the first time in the country’s history that the Prime Minister decided to have two Principal Secretaries at the same time, since the post was created in 1971 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

PN Haksar was the first Principal Secretary to Prime Minister in 1971.

Ajit Doval, the retired 1968-batch IPS officer is another prime example of Prime Minister’s trust in some superannuated officers.

Doval has been serving as India’s National Security Adviser since 2014 when Prime Minister Modi was elected to power at the Centre.

In June last year, Doval began his third term as NSA.

Amit Khare, retired Indian Administrative Service officer (1985 batch) from Bihar/Jharkhand cadre is also currently serving as adviser to the Prime Minister of India.

Earlier, Amitabh Kant, a retired member of the 1980-IAS batch, was posted as CEO of the NITI Aayog. He was named G-20 Sherpa for the 2023 G-20 meeting which India hosted.