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Economic consultant to Finance Ministry -- Rakesh Mohan's selection awaits Cabinet clearance

Shaji Vikraman

NEW DELHI, Dec. 14

THE Finance Ministry would seek the Cabinet approval shortly for the appointment of Dr Rakesh Mohan as Chief Economic Consultant to the Ministry.

The decision to appoint Dr Rakesh Mohan follows the decision of the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA), Dr Shankar Acharya, to go on a two-year sabbatical to the New Delhi-based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (Icrier) from Janu ary 1, 2001.

Dr Rakesh Mohan's appointment in the rank of a Secretary to the Government on a contractual basis would be for a period of 22 months, according to Government officials.

However, the Government has rejected a further extension to the Senior Economic Advisor to the Ministry, Dr Arvind Virmani, whose tenure ended in the first week of December, they said.

Mr Virmani, who is on deputation to the Finance Ministry from the Planning Commission, has already completed seven years at North Block. Going by Government rules, the tenure in a Ministry counting the years as a Joint Secretary and as an Additional Secr etary would have to be restricted to seven years.

When his tenure ended in June this year, the Government gave a six-month extension, although the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had objected to the extension. The proposal to appoint Dr Mohan has to go to the Cabinet as the appointment would not be routed through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The Government reckons that it would be a time-consuming exercise and has decided to settle for appointing an economist on a contract basis.

The top job in the Government's Economic Division, which carries the rank of a Secretary to the Government of India is offered to a candidate after an UPSC selection, which is how Dr Acharya was chosen as CEA.

Dr Mohan was the Director General of the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) till early this year, before being nominated as Vice-Chairman of the Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC).