New Delhi: After completing nearly four years as the Chief Economic Adviser, Arvind Subramanian called it quits before his term was to end and will be returning to the US citing "very compelling reasons". Though no last date has been fixed for his departure yet, he said he would be remitting office within the next two months.
Speaking fondly about his tenure, Subramanian, called it the "the best job I ever had, not without controversies sometimes”. He added, “I will go back with the best of memories. I will always be committed to serving the country at all times in the future.”
Subramanian who is a senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, was appointed as CEA, in October 2014 for a 3-year term, but he received an extension last year. His official contract was till May 2019.
He said, “One thing which I wish we could have done... there was a lot of demand for creating the office of CEA in a number of states, a number of chief ministers were keen to have something like this and I wish I had more bandwidth, time and energy to kind of do this in the states as well. I hope it will happen going forward.”
The chief economic strategist’s premature exit was earlier confirmed by Arjun Jaitley in a Facebook post in which he heaped praise on the economist.
"On the expiry of the three year 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," the post read.
Responding to Jaitley’s post, Subramanian said, "I am profoundly grateful and humbled by these extraordinarily generous words by Minister Arun Jaitley announcing my decision to return-for personal reasons-to researching and writing.”
He added that the CEA job was the most rewarding, fulfilling, exciting he ever had.
Subramanian’s tenure witnessed several key economic reforms, including the roll-out of the Goods and Services Tax. “Being associated with GST, economic surveys have been so gratifying. Hope youngsters who hang around me don't desert me when I leave.”
Addressing a question about his future plans, he responded by saying that it will be revealed in the coming days.
"You will get to know what I am exactly, I will be going do, in the next few days. I cannot reveal that right now for obvious reasons. Whatever has to be done has to done through formal channel but in few days you will get to know what I will doing in the next year at least," he said.
When asked about who would succeed him, he stated that the process would begin soon.
(With inputs from PTI)
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