Ashok Lahiri to become Niti Aayog vice-chairman

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Outgoing West Bengal BJP MLA and economist 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. He will replace Suman Bery. Ashok Lahiri is currently a BJP MLA in West Bengal. (Photo: X)A member of the current Bengal assembly from Balurghat — but not contesting the ongoing elections — Lahiri has served as the 12th Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) to the Government of India. 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, his author profile with the publisher Penguin states. The current Niti Aayog vice-chairperson is Suman Bery, holding thus the rank and status of a cabinet minister. A policy economist and research administrator, Bery took over NITI Aayog leadership in May 2022. At the time of his appointment, he was a Global Fellow in the Asia Programme of the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington; and a non-resident fellow at Bruegel, an economic policy research institution in Brussels. He was also a member of the board of the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, New Delhi. Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered.Read More