In a shocking decision, The Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian quit today after four years in what he described as “the best job I ever had, not without controversies sometimes.” Mr. Arvind Subramanian wanted to go back to the US for personal reasons, Minister Arun Jaitley had announced in a Facebook post earlier.
“He would like to go back to the United States on account of pressing family commitments. He left me with no option but to agree with him,” Arun Jaitley wrote on the premature exit. Mr. Subramanian’s term ends in May 2019. Mr. Jaitley, who is recovering from surgery, said Mr. Arvind Subramanian had met him over video-conference a few days ago. “His reasons were personal but extremely important for him,” he said.
Mr. Arvind Subramanian, 59, a Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, became Chief Economic Adviser on October 16, 2014, for a period of three years, which was extended. He took over the job when his predecessor Raghuram Rajan moved on to become RBI governor.
“On the expiry of the three years, I had requested him to continue for some more time. Even at that stage, he told me that he was torn between family commitment and his current job which he considered the best and most fulfilling he has ever done,” Mr. Jaitley said in his post, which was full of praise for Mr. Subramanian.