Arvind Panagariya resigns as NITI Aayog VC

NEW DELHI: NITI Ayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya has resigned from his post on Tuesday. August 31 is likely to be his last working day in the office. According to reports, he will resume his career in academia in the United States. Talking to reporters, he said the Columbia University was not giving him further extension and he would be leaving Niti Aayog on August 31. He said that about two months ago he had expressed his desire to the Prime Minister, who is the Chairperson of NITI Aayog, to be relieved by August 31. He said the work he was doing at the university would be very difficulty to get at his age. Panagariya is Professor of Indian Political Economy at Columbia University. He has also served as the  Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank and Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland at College Park. The 64-year-old economist holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics from Princeton University. He has also worked with the World Bank, IMF and UNCTAD in various capacities. NITI Aayog was established by the NDA government on 1 January 2015 to replace the Planning Commission. Like Planning Commission, Prime Minister is the chairman of NITI Aayog. In March 2012, the Government of India has awarded Panagariya with Padma Bhusan. (With PTI inputs)