Arvind Panagariya. PTI file photo
Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya Tuesday resigned from his post citing expiry of his leave from the New York's Columbia University as the reason.
A top economic adviser to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Panagariya headed the Centre's policy think tank since January 2015 and his tenure was co-terminus with the term of the NDA government.
The 64-year-old, who has been credited with working towards bringing in competitive and cooperative federalism in the country, will continue to be at Niti Aayog tll August 31.
“I didn't get leave extension from the Columbia University and that is why requested the Prime Minister to relieve me at the end of this months,” Panagariya told reporters after his resignation.
Sources in the government said the Prime Minister has accepted his resignation. Niti Aayog, or the National Institution for Transforming India, replaced the Nehruvian era Planning Commission in 2014 and Panagariya was its first vice-chairman.
The Aayog was set up by an executive order with the Prime Minister as chairman, a full-time vice president and four permanent members but the fourth member could not be appointed as yet.
Governing Council, a key body of Niti Aayog comprising all chief ministers of states as its members met only three times in the past over three years. The first two meetings were held in 2015.
But the last Governing Council meeting which was held in April was an important one as in that the Niti Aayog gave a 15-year Vision Document to the Prime Minister to accelerate country's economic development and also presented 300 specific action points to achieve the goal.
In a short period of around two-an-a-half years, the Niti Aayog came under attack from within the BJP for its alleged pro-corporate approach to development. The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, an RSS body recently went on record saying "Niti Aayog is committed to a powerful corporate lobby functioning in the country and not to the weaker sections of the society”. It also suggested that the government re-think whether or not to keep such a “defective institution” in the name of a 'think tank. The BMS had also levelled charges of the Aayog being an anti-labour face to the government in its national conference recently.
Speculation was about a reshuffle in the Niti Aayog after continuous attacks of job-less economic growth marred the end of government's three-year tenure in May this year. Panagariya's successor will be announced in due course.