Rajiv Kumar

Dr Rajiv Kumar is a distinguished economist and policy expert, and former Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog (2017–2022), where he held Cabinet rank. He is the founder and Chairman of Pahle India Foundation, a policy think tank established in 2013. His career spans academia, government, corporate chambers, and multilateral institutions, including roles as Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Finance (1991–1995), Chief Economist at CII, and Secretary General of FICCI. Dr. Kumar holds a Ph.D. from Lucknow University and a D.Phil. from Oxford. In 2023, he was awarded Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun for strengthening India–Japan economic ties.