Will energise policymaking: PM Modi welcomes Ashok Lahiri as NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman- Moneycontrol.com
Lahiri and Gobardhan Das, both from Bengal, join NITI Aayog team
Newly appointed Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Ashok Kumar Lahiri, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, a day after assuming charge, marking his first official engagement in the role.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, wrote, 'Met Shri Ashok Kumar Lahiri Ji and conveyed my best wishes on his being appointed as the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog. His rich experience in economics and public policy will greatly strengthen India's reform journey and the journey towards becoming a Viksit Bharat. I am confident his efforts will further energise policymaking in our nation. My best wishes for a fruitful tenure."
Ashok Kumar Lahiri, who was appointed as the Vice Chairman of the government's apex policy think tank on Friday, held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, signalling the beginning of his tenure at a time when India is navigating a complex global economic environment.
While details of the meeting were not officially disclosed, the interaction assumes significance as NITI Aayog plays a key role in shaping India's economic policy framework and driving reforms across sectors.
The new NITI Aayog team includes two eminent experts hailing from West Bengal — senior economist Ashok Lahiri as vice chairperson and scientist Gobardhan Das as member, sources said on Friday.
Dilip Mandal, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, also congratulated Lahiri on his new role. Posting on his X account, he said, "India's top economist, the die-hard Bengali Dr. Ashok Lahiri, who prepares khichdi prasad for the religious event of Ram Puja, will now be a key figure at NITI Aayog (formerly the Planning Commission)."
"He will guide how the country's policies are shaped. This is a good selection by Prime Minister @narendramodi," he added.
With this, Bengal once again finds two of its prodigal sons in the top echelons of the Indian policymaking circle, marking another milestone in the state's rich legacy of contributions to scholarship and nation-building.
In his new role as NITI Aayog Vice Chairperson, Ashok Lahiri will steer progress towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat.
Among India's most experienced economists with a career spanning over four decades, Lahiri has served multiple important roles across the policy spectrum, including Chief Economic Adviser, Finance Commission Member, and positions with global institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, World Bank and the IMF.
An alumnus of Delhi School of Economics and Presidency University, Lahiri is known as a leading Bengali intellectual who has championed the cause of Bengal's development.
Gobardhan Das is a Molecular Science Professor specialising in immunology, infectious diseases and cell biology, with nearly three decades of scientific experience. He is internationally recognised for his research on the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and has worked with institutions such as Yale University, Houston Methodist Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal University and the National Research Foundation in South Africa.
An alumnus of Visva-Bharati University, Das later became a professor at JNU and is currently leading the development of IISER Bhopal as its Director.
Born to Hindu Dalit refugees from Bangladesh, Das grew up in difficult conditions in Bengal. With his father being a poor farmer, he studied under street lamps and faced personal tragedies, including the loss of 17 family members in riots in West Bengal. His journey reflects a deep commitment to nation-building despite significant hardships.
NITI Aayog serves as the apex public policy think tank of the Government of India and is tasked with catalysing economic development and fostering cooperative federalism through the involvement of state governments in policymaking using a bottom-up approach.
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