Ashok Lahiri Appointed NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman; Gobardhan Das Named Member
The government appointed former Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Ashok Lahiri as the new Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, replacing Suman Bery. Lahiri is a member of the 15th Finance Commission, currently serving as a West Bengal MLA, and previously served as CEA under PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Gobardhan Das, Director of IISER Bhopal, was appointed as a new member of NITI Aayog. The appointments reinforce NITI Aayog's role as India's premier policy think tank.
Key Facts & Details
7 points- 1Ashok Lahiri appointed NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman, replacing Suman Bery
- 2Lahiri is ex-CEA (under Vajpayee) and member of 15th Finance Commission
- 3Gobardhan Das (Director, IISER Bhopal) appointed as NITI Aayog member
Deep Dive
- +NITI Aayog was established on January 1, 2015 replacing the Planning Commission
- +PM Narendra Modi chairs NITI Aayog ex-officio
- +NITI Aayog's CEO is B.V.R. Subrahmanyam (IAS)
- +The 15th Finance Commission (Chairman: N.K. Singh) covered 2021-26
Exam Focus
Likely MCQ: NITI Aayog replaced which body? → Answer: Planning Commission (replaced on January 1, 2015)
Related Topics
Exam Relevance & Angle
Polity & Economy: NITI Aayog, appointments, and India's policy architecture.
Target Exams
Background & Context
NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) was established on January 1, 2015 by the Modi government, replacing the Planning Commission (which was set up in 1950). Unlike the Planning Commission, NITI Aayog is an advisory body — it does not allocate funds directly to states.
NITI Aayog's structure:
- Chairperson: PM Narendra Modi (ex-officio)
- Vice-Chairperson: Ashok Lahiri (newly appointed)
- CEO: B.V.R. Subrahmanyam (IAS)
- Full-time Members: Several specialists
- Ex-officio Members: Key Cabinet Ministers
- Special Invitees: State CMs
Key NITI Aayog initiatives: India Innovation Index, SDG India Index, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), Aspirational Districts Programme.
Ashok Lahiri served as Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) under PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was also a member of the 15th Finance Commission (chaired by N.K. Singh), which determined Centre-State resource allocation for 2021-26. He is currently a BJP MLA from West Bengal.
Finance Commission is a constitutional body under Article 280, appointed every 5 years to recommend distribution of taxes between Centre and states.
Related GK Concepts
Must KnowTest Yourself
1 / 3NITI Aayog was established on which date, replacing the Planning Commission?
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