Ashok Lahiri
Ashok Kumar Lahiri | |
|---|---|
| Born | India |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, politician |
| Known for | Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, chairman of Bandhan Bank, member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission |
Ashok Kumar Lahiri is a prominent Indian economist and politician, presently serving as a representative in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly for the Balurghat constituency. He also holds membership in the Fifteenth Finance Commission. Lahiri's distinguished career includes his tenure as the 12th Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, leadership as chairman of Bandhan Bank, executive directorship at the Asian Development Bank, and directorship at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. His global expertise encompasses roles such as consultant to the World Bank and senior economist at the International Monetary Fund. Politically, he is associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Education
Lahiri completed his studies in economics at Presidency University, Kolkata.
Economist
Throughout his career, Lahiri has occupied several significant economic positions, including that of Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, chairman of Bandhan Bank, economic adviser within the Ministry of Finance, executive director at the Asian Development Bank, director of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, faculty member at the Delhi School of Economics, consultant for the World Bank, and senior economist with the International Monetary Fund.
Director of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy
From February 1998 until October 2002, he led as director of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
Chief Economic Adviser
In December 2002, Lahiri was appointed by the prime minister-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet to serve as Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India. He fulfilled this role for more than four years, concluding in June 2007, during which time both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh were prime ministers.
Chairman of Bandhan Bank
In July 2015, Lahiri took on the role of non-executive, part-time chairman for the newly established Bandhan Bank. He stepped down from this position in April 2018 to assume a full-time membership on the Fifteenth Finance Commission.
Member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission
The President of India appointed Lahiri as a part-time member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission in November 2017. He transitioned to a full-time member with minister of state rank in April 2018 and served until 26 November 2023.
Politics
Initially announced as a candidate for the Alipurduar constituency in the 2021 West Bengal elections, Lahiri’s nomination was withdrawn due to opposition within his party. Subsequently, he was fielded from the Balurghat constituency, where he secured victory over TMC contender Shekhar Dasgupta by a margin of 36,143 votes.