India’s policy think tank Niti Aayog is set for an overhaul as the central government has reset its top brass with former chief economic adviser (CEA) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashok Lahiri appointed as vice-chairman, along with a reconstitution of the members.
According to an order of the Cabinet Secretariat on Friday, the reconstitution has changed all full-time members of the government’s planning arm except one – former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba.
Science and Technology Secretary Abhay Karandikar, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister part-time member KV Raju, molecular scientist Gobardhan Das, and Dr M Srinivas, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi have now been appointed as full-time members of Niti Aayog.
According to the order, all ex-officio members and special invitees remain the same.
The new members will replace economist Ramesh Chand, who steered the think tank’s work on agriculture policy, economist Arvind Virmani, who was overseeing trade matters, VK Saraswat, who was responsible for Niti’s work on science, and Dr VK Paul, who was looking after health policy.
The premier think tank, which saw the unforeseen exit of its chief executive officer (CEO) BVR Subrahmanyam earlier this year, is currently in the middle of finalising the government’s vision for the plan to make India a developed nation by 2047.
The fresh leadership will also be responsible for executing the all important governing council meeting later this year, which comprises chief ministers of all states and the PM.
Newly appointed VC Lahiri, who is also political party leader to be appointed to the post since the transition from the Planning Commission, also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday afternoon.
Lahiri is currently the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Balurghat in West Bengal, is in the middle of crucial assembly polls. He is not contesting polls this time. He was India’s CEA between 2002 and 2007, working under both BJP’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Congress’ Manmohan Singh as PMs.
He was also a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission.
Raju, expected to replace Chand, has also been working as the Economic Advisor to the Chief Minister, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow. Earlier he worked as the Economic Advisor to the Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka.
