Amid Centre's urgency to put the economy back on track, the Union government has cleared a one-year extension to Niti Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant while upgrading the Department of Telecommunications' post presently held by Ansuli Arya to the rank of additional secretary.

The NITI Aayog is a public policy think tank of the government of India that works to achieve sustainable development goals with cooperative federalism by fostering the involvement of state governments in the economic policy-making process.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in tenure of Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO Niti Aayog for a further period of one year beyond June 30, 2021 i.e upto June 30, 2022 or until further orders,” the Department of Personnel and Training in a notification said.

Kant, a senior administrator, was appointed as the chief of the National Institution for Transforming India or Niti Aayog on February 17, 2016, for a fixed two-year term, and was initially given an extension till June 30, 2019.

Further the personnel department has also approved the upgradation of the Universal Service Obligation fund administrator post from Joint Secretary to Additional Secretary level, presently held by Bihar cadre 1989-batch IAS officer Ansuli Arya in the Department of Telecommunications for a term upto July 20, 2022.

USO fund is the Rs 55,000-crore strong reserve meant to deploy telecom connectivity infrastructure in India's rural and remote regions.