ECONOMIST RAJIV KUMAR IS NEW VC OF NITI AAYOG
NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday appointed economist Rajiv Kumar as the new vicechairman of the NITI Aayog, replacing Arvind Panagariya who had resigned on August 1. Kumar is expected to take charge after August 31 when Panagariya vacates the position. A DPhil in economics from Oxford University and an author of books on economics and national security, Kumar is currently a senior fellow at the Centre for Poicy Research at Delhi. Kumar was also on the National Security Advisory Board from 2006 to 2008 when the Congress-led UPA was in power. Official sources also said Dr Vinod Paul has been appointed a member of the government’s policy think tank.
NEW DELHI The government on Saturday appointed economist Rajiv Kumar as the new vicechairman of the NITI Aayog, five days after Arvind Panagariya resigned from the post.
Kumar is expected to take charge after August 31 when Panagariya officially vacates the position.
Kumar holds a DPhil in economics from Oxford University and has authored books on economics and national security. He is currently a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research at Delhi and was also on the National Security Advisory Board from 2006 to 2008 when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was in power.
He has served as secretary general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), director and chief executive of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and chief economist of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
Kumar has also served on the Asian Development Bank and in the ministries of industries and finance.
Panagariya surprised many when said last week he was returning to academics and would resume teaching at Columbia University abruptly ending his tenure.
Official sources also said Dr Vinod Paul, professor and chair of the department of paediatrics of neonatology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences at New Delhi, has been appointed a member of the government’s policy think tank.
On having been made a member of the Niti Ayog, Dr Paul, said, “I look forward to the responsibility and chance to perform under the able guidance of the honourable Prime Minister.”
He is credited with developing the maternal and child health strategy of the government and also served at the headquarters of the WHO.