Who was the first Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — C, Arvind Panagariya (the booklet spells the surname 'Pangariya'). The economist Arvind Panagariya was the first Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, serving from the body's creation on 1 January 2015 until August 2017, after which he returned to Columbia University. NITI Aayog's Chairperson is the Prime Minister ex officio, so the Vice-Chairman is its effective full-time head.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) He became Vice-Chairman later, succeeding Panagariya in 2017 - he was not the first.  (b) He was NITI Aayog's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), a different post, not the Vice-Chairman.  (d) He served as a Minister of State associated with planning/statistics, not as Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog.

Concept: NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) replaced the Planning Commission on 1 January 2015 as the government's premier policy think-tank. Its Chairperson is the Prime Minister ex officio; day-to-day leadership rests with a Vice-Chairman appointed by the PM, supported by full-time members and a CEO.

State PCS 2020 Q17 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2020 Q17 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer