Rajiv Kumar named vice-chairman of NITI Aayog

Centre appoints paediatrician Vinod Paul as new member

The Centre on Saturday appointed well-known economist Rajiv Kumar as the new vice-chairman of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, five days after his predecessor Arvind Panagariya quit, citing his desire to pursue academic interests.

The government also appointed Vinod Paul, a paediatrician at the AIIMS who has worked in public health, as a member of the NITI Aayog. Economist Bibek Debroy, agricultural economist Ramesh Chand and scientist V K Saraswat are the other three members.

Kumar has a DPhil in economics from Oxford University and a PhD from Lucknow University. He is a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and has authored several books on the national economy and security. He had also written a book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the challenges he has faced. 

A prolific writer and columnist, Kumar had authored several articles on the perils of farm loan waivers and the need for focusing on employment generation. His interests include macroeconomics and politics, and India in the context of South Asia. Kumar also practices meditation and has spoken on the subject. Earlier, he was secretary general, Ficci, and director and chief executive of the Icrier. He was also a member of the National Security Advisory Board from 2006 to 2008. He has been the chief economist, Confederation of Indian Industries, and has held senior positions in the Asian Development Bank, and the ministries of industries and finance. 

Kumar is also on the boards of several institutions, including the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Riyadh, the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and Asia in Jakarta, the State Bank of India, and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. 

He will take the driver’s seat at the NITI Aayog at a time when it is looking for fresh directions. One of his immediate tasks would be to complete the 15-year vision document and some strategic papers.  

In the three years since its inception, the NITI Aayog has recommended several major policy initiatives. These include a road map for revitalisation of agriculture, a model land-leasing law, a road map for the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, a National Energy Policy, a road map for poverty elimination, development strategies for the Northeast and hilly states, digital payments, targeting 50 Olympic medals, review of scholarship schemes for Scheduled Caste students, and a national nutrition strategy. Of these, many policy initiatives have been accepted by the government, while others are still work in progress. 

The Aayog’s suggestions on digital payments have been accepted but many of its recommendations are yet to be put into practice. Its road map for revitalisation of agriculture was discussed by a number of states. On the model land-leasing law, the draft has been shared with states. Some have adopted it. A special cell is coordinating with states. The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana road map is also with states; work is on to monitor the completion of projects under it.

Not all projects have moved as smoothly. One is the road map for elimination of poverty. Work has started on this, but many of the states haven’t yet set up their own sub-cells. The task force constituted in the Aayog hasn’t categorically favoured a single line to measure poverty, but wants specific indicators for social welfare schemes.