NEW DELHI: Meghalaya born noted economist Bibek Debroy, who is also a member of the Niti Aayog, has been appointed as the first Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC- PM), which was re-constituted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, to pep up the country’s economy which is not growing as expected.
The five-member council consists of economists of high repute and eminence. The other members include Surjit Bhalla, Rathin Roy and Ashima Goyal, who will be working as part time members of the council. Ratan Watal, the principal advisor to Niti Aayog will be the secretary of the council.
An official statement said that the terms of reference of the EAC would be to “analyse any issue, economic or otherwise, referred to it by the prime minister and advising him thereon”.
“It will also address issues of macroeconomic importance and present its views to the PM. This could be either suo-motu or on reference from the PM or anyone else. Its terms of reference also include attending to any other task as may be desired by the PM from time to time,” the statement added. Since its conception in 2015, Debroy has been a member of NITI Aayog, the think tank of Indian Government. As the head of the panel on restructuring railways Mr. Debroy brought out a final report seeking to appoint an independent regulator while doing away with Rail Budget altogether.
Debroy has also penned a coffee table book on Meghalaya which was released recently. The book “Meghalaya, on the Paths to Prosperity” is a window into the life and aspirations of the people of Meghalaya.
