India has had many chief economic advisers (CEAs) since 1956. They all sit in the finance ministry and are, in fact, advisors only to it. The title CEA is a bit too grandiose. But until about 20 years ago, it was a low-profile one.
It’s an apolitical job, or was until 1970, when an economist, who made no secret of his political preferences, was appointed to the job. The term bhakt had not been invented then but he fitted the bill perfectly. He later went on to become finance minister of West Bengal when the CPM came to power.
That appears to
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
