NEW DELHI: Rajiv Kumar has stepped down from the post of vice-chairperson (V-C) of central government think-tank Niti Aayog after a tenure of close to five years. The government on Friday announced that it has accepted Dr Rajiv Kumar’s resignation and will relieve him from the post of the Vice-Chairperson, NITI Aayog from 30 April 2022.
Kumar has been replaced, in the interim, by Suman Bery. Kumar took over the vice-chairmanship in September 2017 after the resignation of Arvind Panagariya. Kumar is an economist with stints in various government and non-government institutions.
He had held the post of principal economist of the Asian Development Bank; economic advisor in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance; chief economist, Confederation of India Industries; Senior Fellow, Centre of Policy Research, Delhi, among others. He has also served on the board of several companies as an independent director. Bery will take over as vice-chairperson of NITI Aayog from May 1 until further orders, on the same terms and conditions as were applicable to the previous V-Cs.