Kolkata, April 25 (IANS) In a development with strong Bengal resonance, outgoing West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Legislative Assembly and noted economist Ashok Kumar Lahiri has been selected to become the next vice-chairman of NITI Aayog, according to people familiar with the matter.

His appointment, once formalised, will make him the effective head of the government’s premier policy think tank, as the chairpersonship is held by the Prime Minister by default. Lahiri will succeed Suman Bery, who has been serving in the role since May 2022.

Adding to the Bengal angle, Gobardhan Das, a prominent immunologist and academic, is also set to join NITI Aayog as a member.

Das, who contested the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections from Purbasthali Uttar on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket but lost, has previously served as Director of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, and was a faculty member at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

His inclusion alongside Lahiri signals a notable representation of Bengalis in the country’s top policy-making body.

Lahiri, who represents Balurghat in the current Bengal Assembly but is not contesting the ongoing elections, brings with him a distinguished career in economics.

He served as the 12th Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India and has held positions at the Delhi School of Economics, the Asian Development Bank, Bandhan Bank, and the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. His global experience includes stints with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

An alumnus of Presidency University, Kolkata, Lahiri is widely respected for his academic and policy contributions. With a career spanning over four decades, he is regarded as one of India’s senior economists.

Gobardhan Das is a noted molecular science professor specialising in immunology, infectious diseases and cell biology, with a scientific career spanning nearly three decades. He is internationally recognised for his research on the pathogenesis of tuberculosis.

Having led research at institutions including Yale University and Houston Methodist Hospital in the United States, as well as the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the National Research Foundation in South Africa, he returned to India to contribute to academic and scientific development.

An alumnus of Visva-Bharati University, Das later became a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and is currently leading the development of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, as its Director.

For the Bharatiya Janata Party, the elevation of two Bengalis to NITI Aayog could be projected as recognition of Bengal’s intellectual and policy leadership, while also serving as a counter-narrative to the All India Trinamool Congress’s dominance in the state.

Formal announcements are awaited, but the inclusion of Lahiri and Das is expected to shape NITI Aayog’s future direction while adding a distinct Bengal imprint to the institution’s leadership.

–IANS

sktr/dan