Outgoing BJP MLA from West Bengal and renowned economist Ashok Kumar Lahiri will be made the next vice-chairman of NITI Aayog. According to sources, this decision was taken on Friday. NITI Aayog is the main think tank (policy making institution) of the Government of India. Its chairperson is the Prime Minister, hence the Vice President is considered its real head.
Ashok Lahiri will replace Suman Berry. Also, Bengali scientist Gobardhan Das will be made the new member of NITI Aayog. Formal appointment of both is still pending.
Who is Ashok Lahiri?
Ashok Kumar Lahiri studied Economics from Presidency University, Kolkata. He taught at the Delhi School of Economics, held important positions at the Asian Development Bank, Bank and the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
He also worked as a consultant and senior economist at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He is a BJP MLA from Balurghat seat in the West Bengal Assembly but is not contesting the ongoing elections this time. He also served as the 12th Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) to the Government of India. He was appointed during the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (December 2002) and held the post till June 2007.
Who is Gobardhan Das?
Gobardhan Das is a leading immunologist. He worked at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi and was the Director of IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research), Bhopal. He has been a member of BJP and contested from Purbasthali North seat in the 2021 West Bengal elections, but lost.
Why important appointment?
Both these names have been selected from Bengal, while BJP is giving a tough competition to Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) there. This decision is also being considered as a sign of strengthening BJP’s presence in Bengal. Suman Berry was the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog from May 2022. He is a policy economist and was previously associated with international institutions such as the Woodrow Wilson Center and Bruegel.
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