Arvind Panagariya, the outgoing Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, has suggested that the government relieve the think-tank of its G-20 duties and appoint a full-time G20 sherpa.
“To ensure that the work of the NITI Aayog and G20 engagements receive due attention, it may be worth considering separating these roles in future. A full-time G20 Sherpa would in any case be a necessity if India were to host the G20 Summit in the future,” Panagariya suggested in his resignation letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 26.
He highlighted in the letter that NITI Aayog’s roles and responsibilities have expanded at a blistering pace in the last two years. In parallel, he said, India’s stature in the global arena has also swelled.
“Nothing illustrates this better than the attention you (Modi) received from the world leaders at the recent G20 Summit in Hamburg. This means that going forward, the work of G20 Sherpa would expand,” he stated.
Panagariya was appointed as the Sherpa for the G20 Summit in 2015.
A Sherpa is a personal representative of the leader of a member country at an international Summit meeting such as the G8, G20 or the Nuclear Security Summit.