Outgoing West Bengal BJP MLA Ashok Kumar Lahiri has been chosen to become the next vice-chairman of Niti Aayog, people familiar with the matter told HT on Friday.
This will make him effectively the chief of the government think tank as the chairpersonship is held by the Prime Minister by default.
Lahiri will replace Suman Bery and will be joined by Gobardhan Das, a scientist and former BJP member, as a new member of the policy.
Lahiri, an alumnus of the economics department at Presidency University, Kolkata, has held research, teaching or leadership positions at the Delhi School of Economics, the Asian Development Bank, Bandhan Bank, and the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
He has also had stints with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as a consultant and senior economist, respectively.
Lahiri was appointed Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India (CEA) by the PM-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet in December 2002 and demitted that office in June 2007.
