Reported by Avik Chakraborty, Roopak Goswami
Dibrugarh: Arunachal Pradesh academic and author Joram Aniya has been appointed as a full-time member of NITI Aayog, marking a significant inclusion of an intellectual voice from the Northeast in India’s top policy institution.
The appointment was formalised through a Cabinet Secretariat notification, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Aniya and R. Balasubramaniam as full-time members of NITI Aayog with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders.
Aniya currently serves as head of the Department of Hindi at Dera Natung Government College in Itanagar and has nearly two decades of experience in teaching, research, and public policy engagement. She is also associated with the Arunachal Pradesh Private Educational Regulatory Commission.
She is the first woman from the Nyishi community to earn a PhD and the first scholar in the state to obtain a doctorate in Hindi. Her academic work focuses on literature, folklore, and indigenous knowledge systems, with extensive contributions to the documentation of Nyishi cultural traditions. She has authored and edited several books and research publications in these fields.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu congratulated Aniya, calling it a proud moment for the state and the Northeast. He said her academic journey reflects dedication, scholarship, and a strong commitment to society, adding that her experience would contribute meaningfully to inclusive development and indigenous knowledge systems at the national level. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recognising talent from the region.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said her induction would strengthen Arunachal Pradesh’s voice in national policymaking, while Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu termed it a matter of pride for the Northeast.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia also noted that her academic and cultural background would add valuable perspective to policy formulation.
Aniya’s appointment came after the reconstitution of NITI Aayog on April 24, which also included Ashok Kumar Lahiri as vice chairman and other full-time members such as economist K. V. Raju, AIIMS Director M. Srinivas, and former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba.
NITI Aayog, the Government of India’s apex public policy think tank, works closely with state governments in shaping development strategies through a cooperative and bottom-up approach.
Her appointment has been widely welcomed across Arunachal Pradesh, with expectations that it will help bring greater focus to indigenous knowledge systems and regional development priorities at the national level.