Profile of Vice-Chairman NITI Aayog

Dr. Rajiv Kumar is a leading Indian economist and has recently been appointed, the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog by the government of India. He is the author of several books on India’s economy and national security. His latest books are Modi & His Challenges (2016), Resurgent India: Ideas and Priorities (2015) and Exploding Aspirations: Unlocking India’s Future (2014). He is a widely recognized economic columnist and a leading speaker on issues in Indian political economy.

Presently, he is: (i) Founding Director of Pahle India Foundation (PIF), Delhi; (ii) Chancellor of the Gokhale Institute of Economics and Politics (A Deemed University, Pune). PIF, a non-profit think tank focuses on facilitating economic policy change based on objective and rigorous research.

He concurrently serves as: (i) Government of India nominated Independent Director on Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India; (ii) Member of the International Board of Management of King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, Riyadh, chaired by the Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy; (iii) Director, Institute of Human Development, Delhi; (iv) Director, Giri Institute of Development Studies, Lucknow; (v) Independent Director on the Board of DHFL; and (vi) Member, Advisory Board of CISCO, India.

In the past he served as the Government of India nominee on the Boards of: (i) Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and Asia (ERIA) Jakarta; (ii) Central Board of the State Bank of India, Mumbai; (iii) Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi; (iv) Part Time Member, National Security Advisory Board (2006-2008); (v) Part Time Member Economics, TRAI, New Delhi (2007-2010)

His earlier positions have been:

· Senior Fellow, Centre of Policy Research, Delhi (2013- January 2017)
· Secretary General, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI, 2010-2012)
· Director & Chief Executive, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER, 2006-2010)
· (vi) Chief Economist, Confederation of India Industries (CII, 2004-2006)
· (vii) Principal Economist, Asian Development Bank, Manila (1995 to 2005)
· (vii) Economic Advisor, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, (1992 to 1995);
· (viii) Senior Consultant, Bureau of Costs and Prices, Ministry of Industry Government of India (1989-1991)
· (ix) Professor, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi (1987-89)
· (x) Senior Research Program Officer, ICRIER. Delhi, (1982 to 1987).

He has a D.Phil. in Economics from Oxford University (1982) and a Ph.D from Lucknow University (1978).