Rajiv Kumar to step down as Niti Aayog VC; Suman Bery to take over from 1 May
Premium- Rajiv Kumar took over as vice-chairman of Niti Aayog in August 2017 after the then VC Arvind Panagariya exited the government-run think-tank.
Rajiv Kumar will be stepping down as the vice-chairman of Niti Aayog on 30 April. He would be succeeded by Suman K Bery. The reason for Kumar's sudden resignation could not be immediately ascertained.
Kumar took over as vice-chairman of Niti Aayog in August 2017 after the then VC Arvind Panagariya exited the government-run think-tank.
According to the order, Rajiv Kumar's resignation has been accepted and he would be relieved from the post with effect from April 30.
Kumar played a key role in Niti Aayog's policy making, focusing on agriculture, asset monetisation, disinvestment, aspirational districts programme and electric vehicles, among others. He has a DPhil in economics from Oxford University and a PhD from Lucknow University. He was also a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR).
Who is Suman K Bery?
Suman Bery had served as Director-General (Chief Executive) of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).
He was also a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, Statistical Commission and the Reserve Bank of India's Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy.
He will take over as the new VC of Niti Aayog on 1 May.