Vice-chairman of NITI Aayog Rajiv Kumar has stepped down and he will be replaced by Suman K Bery who is expected to assume the charges on May 1, 2022, according to an official order. Kumar, an eminent economist, was appointed vice-chairman of NITI Aayog in August 2017 following the departure of then-VC Arvind Panagariya from the government think tank to pursue academic opportunities.
Kumar's sudden resignation which was announced late Friday evening has been accepted, and he will be relieved of his duties effective April 30, said a statement. Kumar was instrumental in NITI Aayog's policymaking, with a particular emphasis on agriculture, asset monetisation, disinvestment, aspirational districts, and electric vehicles.
Bery previously served as the Director-General (Chief Executive) of the New Delhi-based National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). He also served on the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister, the Statistical Commission, and the Reserve Bank of India's Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy.
He also served on the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister, the Statistical Commission, and the Reserve Bank of India's Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy.
Bery previously worked at the World Bank in Washington, DC, where he focused on macroeconomics, financial markets, and public debt management with a particular emphasis on Latin America.
He earned his undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Magdalen College, Oxford University, and a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
