Who is Parameswaran Iyer, the next Niti Aayog CEO?

Parameswaran Iyer is also the brains behind the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a campaign to eradicate open defecation by constructing over 90 million toilets in rural India.

Newly appointed NITI Aayog CEO Parameswaran Iyer. (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)

Parameswaran Iyer, the former secretary of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, was appointed as the new CEO of Niti Aayog on Friday. According to a government order, Iyer was chosen to replace Amitabh Kant who will retire on June 30.

Kant, who was appointed as the CEO in 2016, will leave the government think-tank after a tenure of six years. His term was extended by a year in June 2021. Meanwhile, Iyer, the force behind the government’s Swachh Bharat Mission, will take over the reins for two years.

Who is Parameswaran Iyer?

A 1981-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, 63-year-old Iyer is a well-known sanitation specialist. After his 17-year service as an IAS, Iyer resigned in 2009. He later on made a comeback as the secretary of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (D0DWS) in 2016.

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Iyer was born in Srinagar and his father was an Indian Air Force officer. He went to St Stephen’s college and also represented India at the Junior Davis Cup.

Happy Father’s Day again to a truly inspirational dad😊@minacricket https://t.co/kVs6XYu2EZ

— Param Iyer (@paramiyer_) June 19, 2022

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The newly appointed NITI Aayog CEO is also the brains behind the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a campaign to eradicate open defecation by constructing over 90 million toilets in rural India.

He stepped down from his post of secretary of DoDWS in July 2020, and went on to work with the World Bank in the United States.

Iyer has previously worked as Senior Rural Water Sanitation Specialist at the United Nations between April 1998 and February 2006. He has also worked with the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh in the field of education.

An inspirational meeting with the World Bank’s Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan in Dhaka. She encouraged us in @2030WRG to think big on the Water-Ag agenda along with Bank colleagues to help the government achieve transformational impact. @MercyTembon @WorldBankWater pic.twitter.com/nhokCPDYwC

— Param Iyer (@paramiyer_) June 15, 2022

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Iyer has also contributed actively as a columnist for The Indian Express, writing on various subjects including Covid-19 pandemic, supply food chain, Swachh Bharat Mission, Jal Jeevan Mission and sports.

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