Economist Rajiv Kumar steps down from the position of NITI Aayog vice-chairman

Eminent Indian economist Rajiv Kumar has resigned from his position as vice-chairman of NITI Aayog. His tenure will end on April 30. The government has appointed Suman K Bery to take charge from May 1.

Mr Kumar took over as vice chairman in August 2019 and has since played a key role in India's policymaking regarding agriculture, asset monetisation, disinvestment, aspirational districts programme, and electric vehicles.

He has a DPhil in economics from Oxford University and a PhD from Lucknow University. The senior economist is also a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). He was the Chief Economist of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) during 2004-2006 and the Secretary-General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI) during 2011-2013.

Mr Kumar took over as vice chairman after his predecessor Arvind Panagariya decided to return to academics. Reasons behind Mr Kumar's step down have not been revealed. NITI Aayog officials said that they were not aware of the decision until now and it was sudden.

Mr Bery had served as Director-General (Chief Executive) of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi. He was also a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, Statistical Commission and the Reserve Bank of India's Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy. He has also worked with the World Bank in Washington DC and focused on the macroeconomy, financial markets, and public debt management in Latin America.