New Delhi, Apr 22. In a surprise move, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman (V-C) Rajiv Kumar has quit from the top post. The reasons for his premature exit could not be ascertained immediately. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has named Dr. Suman K Bery as new V-C of the government think-tank. Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) in its communication issued on Friday said that ACC has approved Rajiv Kumar’s resignation. Kumar would be relieved with effect from April 30. Rajiv Kumar had been appointed as Niti Aayog V-C five years ago succeeding Arvind Panagariya.
A renowned economist, Rajiv Kumar earlier served as the Chancellor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Giri Institute of Development Studies, Lucknow. He has wide experience of having worked in the academia, government, industry as well as in multilateral institutions. After completing his D.Phil at Oxford, Kumar started his academic career in the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), Delhi as a Program Coordinator during 1982-1987. His successor Bery is also an acclaimed economist. He served as Director-General (Chief Executive) of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi. He was also a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. Prior to NCAER, Bery was with the World Bank in Washington DC.