The government has reconstituted Niti Aayog, appointing K. V. Raju as a part-time member, bringing to the policy think tank decades of experience in ecological economics, rural development and governance advisory roles across institutions in India and abroad.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Aayog has emerged as a vital pillar in India’s policy-making architecture, fostering cooperative federalism, reforms and ‘Ease of Living’, while serving as a platform for long-term strategic thinking. He conveyed his best wishes to the newly appointed members following the reconstitution.
Bharatiya Janata Party National President Nitin Nabin congratulated the appointees and expressed confidence that their collective expertise would strengthen India’s policy framework under the leadership of the Prime Minister.
Currently a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Raju also serves as Economic Advisor to the Chief Minister, Government of Uttar Pradesh, and earlier held a similar position in Karnataka. He is Professor Emeritus at Chanakya University, Bengaluru.
Raju’s academic and research career spans roles as Principal Scientist (Policy and Impact) at the Asia division of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Social Scientist at the International Water Management Institute, Colombo, and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC.
He has also headed the Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, and worked as a consultant with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and SIDA, besides being a research associate at the Institute for Rural Management, Anand.
His appointment is seen as reinforcing the Aayog’s focus on evidence-based policy with strong grounding in rural and ecological economics. |
