Invest India chief Nivruti Rai gets six‑month extension as audit probe continues

Invest India’s Managing Director and CEO Nivruti Rai has been granted a short‑term interim extension of six months, keeping her in post until January 2027 while auditors and senior officials examine her tenure. The extension follows a press statement by the Commerce and Industry Ministry that praised Rai’s 29 years at Intel and her Nari Shakti Puraskar award, and noted her three‑year term that began in July 2023. Government sources said the extension came after intense scrutiny over a Rs 14.16 crore consultancy contract awarded to AT Kearney without clear documented approval, and over salary tax deductions that treated her as a consultant rather than an employee. Rai denied the allegations, saying the contract had proper approval and the tax issue was a processing error, and she confirmed her pay revision was approved “in principle” in 2023. Records show the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade’s Financial Oversight Committee raised concerns in April 2024 about the AT Kearney hire, noting missing approvals and unclear deliverables. The committee’s August 2024 report later questioned a proposed six‑month extension of the Kearney engagement costing Rs 26 crore plus taxes, calling the cost “unjustifiable”. Rai admitted the Phase 2 approval was rejected but could not recall the ministry’s comment on the first round’s approval. She said the system escalates issues to her only when needed. Invest India’s board said it corrected the tax classification after an independent auditor flagged the error in December 2024. ## Context The episode highlights the challenges of ensuring transparent procurement and proper tax compliance in public‑private partnership bodies like Invest India, which operate under the Commerce Ministry’s oversight.