Ashok Lahiri Appointed NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman; New Members Inducted
Former Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Ashok Lahiri is set to become the next Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, replacing Suman Bery. Lahiri previously served as CEA under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and was a member of the 15th Finance Commission. He is currently a West Bengal MLA representing the BJP. Separately, Gobardhan Das, Director of IISER Bhopal, will join NITI Aayog as a member. Additionally, AIIMS Delhi's Director and the DST (Department of Science and Technology) Secretary have also been appointed as members of NITI Aayog.
Key Facts & Details
7 points- 1Ashok Lahiri to become next NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman, replacing Suman Bery
- 2Gobardhan Das (Director, IISER Bhopal) appointed as NITI Aayog member
- 3AIIMS Delhi Director and DST Secretary also appointed as NITI Aayog members
Deep Dive
- +NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission on January 1, 2015
- +Ashok Lahiri was a member of the 15th Finance Commission (2020-2025)
- +Suman Bery served as NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman from 2022
- +NITI Aayog's current CEO is B.V.R. Subrahmanyam
Exam Focus
Likely MCQ: Who is the new Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog? → Answer: Ashok Lahiri
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Exam Relevance & Angle
Key Appointments section for all banking and SSC exams.
Target Exams
Background & Context
NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) was established on January 1, 2015, replacing the Planning Commission (which had existed since 1950). Unlike the Planning Commission which had top-down planning authority, NITI Aayog functions as a think tank that provides strategic and technical advice to the government.
Structure of NITI Aayog:
- Chairperson: Prime Minister (ex-officio) — currently PM Narendra Modi
- Vice-Chairman: Appointed by PM — Ashok Lahiri (incoming)
- CEO: B.V.R. Subrahmanyam (IAS)
- Full-time Members: Domain experts
- Ex-officio Members: Key Union Ministers
Ashok Lahiri served as Chief Economic Adviser from 1999-2004 under PM Vajpayee. He was also a member of the 15th Finance Commission (2017-2020) which recommended fiscal transfers for the period 2021-26. He is currently a BJP MLA from West Bengal.
Finance Commission: A constitutional body (Article 280) appointed every 5 years to recommend how tax revenues are shared between Centre and states. The 16th Finance Commission is currently being constituted.
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Must KnowTest Yourself
1 / 3NITI Aayog was established on which date?
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