Urjit Patel appointed NIPFP Chairman

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Former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India General Urjit Patel has been appointed as the chairman of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP). Mr. Patel replaces former bureaucrat Vijay Kelkar, who chaired NIPFP for almost six years. Patel will join on June 22 and will have a four year tenure, NIPFP said in a statement on June 19
NIPFP, known as the think tank of Indian economy, is an autonomous body set up jointly by the Ministry of Finance , the Planning Commission and several state governments. It is a non-independent body and focuses on research on public policies related to Indian economy.
Patel’s experience will help navigate policies in the turbulent COVID-19 times, the Governing Council said. Mr. Kelkar supported the invitation to Mr. Patel to join as Chairman. NIPFP’s Governing Council includes the Revenue Secretary, the Economic Affairs Secretary and the Chief Economic Adviser from the Union Finance Ministry, besides representatives from Nity Aayog, RBI and three state governments
Mr. Patel had an early exit as Governor of RBI. He had taken charge as the 24th Governor on September 5 ,2016 and was chosen by the BJP-led government after his predecessor Raghuram Rajan was denied a second term. Citing “personal reasons” Mr. Patel had quit his position on December 10, 2018, nearly 10 months ahead of his term. After his resignation, the government appointed former revenue and economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das as the 25th Governor of the RBI on December 12, 2018.