According to an official statement, noted economist Suman Bery will take over as vice-chairperson of federal policy think tank NITI Aayog on May 1, with incumbent vice-chairperson Rajiv Kumar departing.
Bery is a senior visiting scholar at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi and a non-resident fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank, and a specialist in international economics and monetary policy.
The appointments committee of the cabinet has accepted Rajiv Kumar’s resignation and has agreed to relieve him of his vice-chairpersonship with effect from April 30, according to an order from the department of people and training.
The cabinet committee also approved Bery’s appointment to NITI Aayog as a full-time member with immediate effect and until April 30.
During this time, his appointment terms and conditions will be the same as those for full-time members of NITI Aayog.
The decision stated that Bery will take over as vice-chairperson of the NITI Aayog with effect from May 1 on the same terms and conditions as Kumar.
Rajiv Kumar was instrumental in NITI Aayog’s emergence as a significant policy-making forum, facilitating cooperation between the federal and state governments on critical development concerns. Under Kumar’s leadership, NITI Aayog was instrumental in the government’s attempts to improve manufacturing, expand infrastructure, provide a road map for achieving sustainable development goals, and promote organic farming. Kumar also oversaw NITI Aayog’s attempts to involve states actively in promoting ease of doing business and ease of living.
