Government forms two high-level reform panels: Rajiv Gauba appointed chair; aligned with PM’s Viksit Bharat push

The government has established two high-level committees comprising secretaries, technocrats and economists, with former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, a full-time NITI Aayog member, as their chairperson, according to ET sources.Simultaneously, a distinct committee under Cabinet Secretary TVS Swaminathan is addressing deregulation matters at the state level.One of the Gauba-led committees aims to achieve Viksit Bharat objectives, while the second committee concentrates on regulatory reforms in the non-financial sector.The inaugural meetings of both groups reportedly occurred on Thursday, with plans to liaise with informal ministerial groups headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.These groups were established following the Prime Minister's Independence Day speech, during which he emphasised the importance of implementing next-generation reforms and announced the creation of a task force.The committees' membership includes secretaries from DPIIT, Expenditure, MSME and Power departments, alongside the director generals of industry organisations - CII, FICCI and Assocham.The committees also include prominent figures like Pawan Goenka, HR professional Manish Sabharwal, and Boston Consulting Group India's Chairperson Janmejay Sinha.The formation of these committees also followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent consultation with economists and various Union ministers regarding future reforms.