Mr. Ishtiyaque Ahmed is a senior Indian civil servant from the 1992 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax). He has over two decades of experience in direct tax administration, with expertise spanning investigations, international taxation, and corporate taxation.

During his career in the Government of India, he has held several key assignments, including in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, where he worked extensively on matters related to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and foreign collaboration. In this role, he contributed to a number of important reforms in India’s FDI policy framework, aimed at enhancing investment flows and improving the business environment.

Mr. Ahmed later joined NITI Aayog as Adviser, where he was responsible for the Industry, Mining and Minerals vertical. His work at NITI Aayog has included policy initiatives relating to mining sector reforms, conceptualisation of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, and assessment of state-level competitiveness in exports.

He is currently serving as Programme Director (Industry & Foreign Investment) at NITI Aayog, Government of India, New Delhi. In this capacity, he works on policy and analytical issues related to India’s participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs), particularly in high-value sectors such as electronics, automobiles, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. His portfolio also covers manufacturing sector development, labour-intensive industries, MSME empowerment, industrial infrastructure, mining, the blue economy, and foreign direct investment policy.

Known for his analytical approach and policy-oriented work, Mr. Ahmed has contributed to several initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s manufacturing ecosystem, improving the investment climate, and promoting industrial growth and competitiveness.

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