Dr Rajiv Kumar steps down as NITI Aayog's vice chairman

National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog vice-chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar has stepped down from his position, according to PTI. He was appointed to India's public policy think tank five years ago. The reason behind his decision could not be immediately ascertained.

Kumar was appointed as vice-chairman of NITI Aayog in 2017 after his predecessor Arvind Panagariya exited the government agency. Apart from this, Kumar serves as the Chancellor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Giri Institute of Development Studies, Lucknow.

With Rajiv Kumar stepping down, Dr Suman K Bery has been appointed his successor to lead the apex public policy think tank, as per a report by ANI.

More about Rajiv Kumar

Dr Rajiv Kumar has wide experience in the fields of academia, government, industry and in multilateral institutions. After completing his D.Phil at Oxford, Kumar started his academic career at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), Delhi during 1982-1987. He was also a professor at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT). In 2006, he became the Director and CEO of ICRIER.

His earlier stints in the government include Senior Consultant at the Bureau of Industrial Costs and Prices (BICP), Minister of Industry from 1989-1991 and as Economic Advisor with the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance (1991-1994).

From 2004 to 2006, he was the Chief Economist of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). He was the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI)'s Secretary-General from 2011 to 2013.

He has served on the Central Boards of the State Bank of India (SBI) for two terms and on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Kumar holds a Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil) in economics from Oxford University and a PhD from Lucknow University. He was also a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR).

With Inputs from PTI