By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, NOV 16, 2023: NITI Aayog, the premier policy think tank of the Government of India, recently appointed four Distinguished Fellows for a period of one year. The four new members of NITI Aayog will bring along significant work experience, coupled with their understanding and expertise of key social, economic and technical issues.

The four distinguished individuals joining the ranks of NITI Aayog are:

(i) Prof. (Dr.) Anoop Singh:

A member of the fifteenth Finance Commission, Dr. Anoop Singh has worked with the International Monetary Fund as Director of the Asia Pacific Department, Director of the Western Hemisphere Department, and Director of Special Operations in the Office of the Managing Director. He was also Special Adviser to the then Governors of the Reserve Bank of India. Dr. Anoop Singh has written extensively on macroeconomic, surveillance, and crisis management issues, including helping design IMF-supported programs in emerging markets, transition, and developing countries in South and Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America. His research focuses on the themes of India's fiscal architecture, fiscal governance, and fiscal federalism.

(ii) Dr. O.P Agarwal

An IAS officer of 1979 batch, Dr. O.P Agrawal has an extensive experience and expertise in urban transport. He was also involved in the formulation of national urban transport policy. He has also worked with the World Bank for 6 years as its global Urban Transport Adviser in Washington DC. He was an Executive Director in the Indian School of Business and also the CEO of the World Resources Institute.  He chaired the US Transport Research Boards Committee on Transport in Developing countries for a period of 6 years. He has written several papers on urban transport policy and governance issues. He has a PhD in Transport Economics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Master's degrees in Transportation and in Technology Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

(iii)  Dr. Ajai Chowdhry

Dr. Ajai Chowdhry is one of the co-founders of HCL and has played a leading role in the establishment of the electronics industry in India. He served on various Government Committees since 1999. In 2009, he chaired a Task Force created by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology which made ground breaking recommendations regarding the country's electronics import bill. These recommendations formed the foundation of the Electronics Policy. He has been nominated by MEITY as a member to the Advisory Board in India Semiconductor Mission. He was also a member of the Consultation Group on Science & Technology and Innovation Sector and as a Member of the Committee on the Semiconductor Sector in NITI Aayog. In recognition of his contributions, he was conferred the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 2011. Dr. Ajai Chowdhry has played a crucial role in shaping centres of learning and creating spaces for intellectual growth and development, including IIT Hyderabad and IIT Naya Raipur. Dr. Ajay Chowdhry holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Jabalpur Engineering College. He has attended the Executive Program at the School of Business Administration at University of Michigan, US. He has also been awarded Honoris Causa (D. Sc) by IIT Roorkee, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Jabalpur, and University of Engineering & Management Kolkata.

(iv) Sh. V. Lakshmikumaran

Sh. V. Lakshmikumaran is a Legal Expert and has 35 years of experience in law. He advises companies in all areas of taxation, including International Taxation and Transfer Pricing, Goods and Services Tax (GST), Customs, Excise, Service Tax, Value Added Tax (VAT), Foreign Trade Policy, Special Economic Zones, offering consulting, advisory, litigation and compliance services. He has also successfully represented clients from many countries in several anti-dumping, subsidy and trade investigations initiated by India. He has handled several disputes between companies and Government authorities in various countries. As a delegate of the International Chamber of Commerce, Lakshmikumaran has attended the WCO-HS (World Customs Organization - Harmonised System) Committee meetings on Classification in Brussels.

The intellectual diversity, global & national perception, expertise in socio-economic sectors of their eminent personalities will help NITI Aayog in contributing in ever evolving socio-economic scenario of the country.