Poonam Gupta, Sanjeev Sanyal and Pami Dua top choices for CEA's job

The government has shortlisted three candidates for the position of chief economic advisor (CEA) and is likely to make its selection soon, people aware of the selection process told ET. The three-year term of incumbent KV Subramanian ends December 17.

The three are Poonam Gupta, director general, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER); Sanjeev Sanyal, principal economic advisor in the finance ministry; and Pami Dua, head of the department of economics at the Delhi School of Economics.

Gupta was earlier lead economist for India at the World Bank and lead economist, global macro and market research, International Finance Corporation (IFC). She has also served as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) chair professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP).

Search Panel Got 10-12 Applications

Sanyal was appointed principal economic advisor in the finance ministry in February 2017. Dua served as a member of the RBI monetary policy committee (MPC) from 2016 to 2020. "The announcement for the new CEA is expected to come in a week or two, as Subramanian will demit office on December 17," said one of the persons cited above.

The new CEA will have to put together the Economic Survey for FY22, which is tabled in parliament a day before the budget, set to be presented on February 1.

The search and selection panel for the CEA was headed by 15th Finance Commission chief NK Singh and included secretaries from the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). The panel, which is learnt to have received 10-12 applications for the post, has forwarded its recommendations to the government. The last date for applications was November 15.

Subramanian had announced on October 8 that he will not seek an extension after his three-year term and will be returning to the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, where he is a professor of finance.