New Delhi, May 7 -- The Centre is weighing whether to appoint a private sector executive or a senior government official to lead the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM), a programme aimed at reviving India's stalling manufacturing growth.

One of the key conversations underway between the government policy think tank Niti Aayog and industry leaders is over the ideal profile of the NMM's chief-whether the mission would benefit more from bureaucratic experience or private-sector execution capability, two people aware of the matter said.

Announced in the Union budget for FY26, the mission is part of a broader push to reposition manufacturing and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as twin engines of the economic growth. The mission...