New Delhi: Newly appointed NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Lahiri held his first official meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday, marking the start of his leadership at the government’s premier policy think tank. Lahiri, a distinguished economist and former Chief Economic Adviser (CEA), officially assumed the role on Friday, succeeding Suman Bery. While the specific details of the discussion were not made public, the meeting is seen as a crucial step in aligning the think tank’s agenda with the government’s long-term vision of “Viksit Bharat” amid a shifting global economic landscape.
The appointment of Dr. Lahiri comes alongside the induction of Dr. Gobardhan Das, a renowned molecular scientist and Director of IISER Bhopal, as a full-time member of NITI Aayog. Both experts hail from West Bengal, representing a significant presence of Bengali scholarship in the nation’s top policy circles. Dr. Lahiri brings over four decades of expertise, having served in high-level roles at the World Bank, the IMF, and the Asian Development Bank. His colleague, Dr. Das, is internationally recognized for his research on immunology and tuberculosis and has a notable personal history as a son of a farmer who overcame immense social and economic hardships to reach the echelons of Indian science.
The restructuring of the NITI Aayog leadership is viewed by political analysts as a strategic move to infuse the body with veteran economic and scientific expertise. Dr. Lahiri’s deep understanding of fiscal policy and Dr. Das’s background in cutting-edge research are expected to drive data-driven reforms and foster cooperative federalism. As NITI Aayog continues to serve as the nodal agency for catalyzing development, the new team will be tasked with navigating complex geoeconomic risks while ensuring that state-level participation remains central to the national economic framework.
