"I think the NRIs are getting a little over representation!" he quipped when asked why another NRI Panagariya has been appointed to a key post.
Earlier in the month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed Colombia University economic professor Panagariya as Vice-Chairman of the newly formed NITI Aayog.
Before him, Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at Peterson Institute for International Economics, was appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry.
The Finance Minister said though Panagariya is a non-resident, he spent a large part of his life in various international bodies and universities.