Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday approved the appointment of academicians Joram Aniya and R Balasubramaniam as full-time members of NITI Aayog, following the body’s reconstitution and fresh appointments on April 24.
A cabinet secretariat notification stated that their appointments as full-time members of NITI Aayog will take effect from their assumption of charge and continue until further orders. On April 24, the prime minister appointed Ashok Kumar Lahiri as the vice chairperson of NITI Aayog, along with Rajiv Gauba, K. V. Raju, Gobardhan Das, Abhay Karandikar and M. Srinivas as full-time members in a move to reconstitute the think tank.
A statement by the government hails Aniya’s inclusion in NITI Aayog as a “historic moment bringing an eminent intellectual voice from Arunachal Pradesh to the highest level of national policymaking.” Aniya, who has over 18 years of experience in teaching, research, and public policy engagement, has served as an academician and member of the Arunachal Pradesh Private Educational Regulatory Commission (APPEIRC). She presently heads the Department of Hindi at the Dera Natung Government College (DNGC) in Itanagar.
She was the first woman from the Nyishi community, an ethnic group from Arunachal Pradesh, to earn a PhD and the first person in the state to study Hindi at a doctoral level. The statement further highlights that Aniya has made significant contributions to literature, culture, and indigenous knowledge systems and authored and edited several books and research publications on Nyishi literature and culture.
{{/usCountry}}She was the first woman from the Nyishi community, an ethnic group from Arunachal Pradesh, to earn a PhD and the first person in the state to study Hindi at a doctoral level. The statement further highlights that Aniya has made significant contributions to literature, culture, and indigenous knowledge systems and authored and edited several books and research publications on Nyishi literature and culture.
{{/usCountry}}R. Balasubramaniam, an academician in his own right, is a member-HR at the Capacity Building Commission under Mission Karmayogi and has authored several books, including, most recently in 2024, ‘Power Within: The Leadership Legacy Of Narendra Modi,’ which focuses on the 50 years of the prime minister’s public life.