Former Drinking Water And Sanitation Secretary Parameswaran Iyer Takes Charge As NITI Aayog CEO

Parameswaran Iyer also said that he was deeply grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for another chance to work under his leadership towards a transformed India

Parameswaran Iyer had taken voluntary retirement from the IAS in 2009 and had worked as a senior rural water sanitation specialist at the United Nations.

Source : Twitter

New Delhi: Parameswaran Iyer, who had spearheaded the implementation of the flagship $20 billion Swachh Bharat Mission, on Monday took charge as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog.

A 1981-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Iyer has worked with both the public and private sectors, according to an official statement. He was secretary in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation during 2016–20.

"With over 25 years of experience in the water and sanitation sector, Iyer spearheaded the implementation of the India's flagship $20 billion Swachh Bharat Mission, which successfully delivered access to safe sanitation to 550 million people," the statement said.

In the statement, Iyer said he was honoured and humbled to have been given the incredible opportunity to serve the country again, this time as NITI Aayog CEO.

Iyer also said that he was deeply grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for another chance to work under his leadership towards a transformed India. 

According to PTI report, Iyer was approached by the central government when he was working at the World Bank’s Hanoi office in Vietnam as programme leader and sanitation specialist in 2016 to take charge as the new boss at the drinking and sanitation department.

He had taken voluntary retirement from the Indian Administrative Service in 2009. He had also worked as a senior rural water sanitation specialist at the United Nations.

The Department of Personnel and Training announced his appointment. Previous CEO Amitabh Kant's tenure ended on June 30, 2022.