Dr. Rajiv Kumar
Chairman, Pahle India Foundation and Former Vice-Chairman, Niti Aayog, Government of India
Dr. Rajiv Kumar, former Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, has recently resumed his role as Chairman of the Pahle India Foundation, a policy think tank he established in 2013. With a career spanning academia, government, corporate chambers, and multilateral institutions, Dr. Kumar brings a unique multi-dimensional perspective to the Indian economy, supported by his extensive publication record.
His government roles include serving as Economic Advisor in the Department of Economic Affairs (Ministry of Finance) from 1991-1995 and as Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog from September 2017 to April 2022, where he held the rank of Cabinet Minister. In the private sector, he served as Chief Economist of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) from 2004-2006 and as Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) from 2011-2013.
Dr. Kumar holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Lucknow University (1978) and a D.Phil. from Oxford University (1982), and he has been honored with D.Litt. degrees by several universities.