Montek Singh Ahluwalia (born November 24, 1943) has been a prominent Indian economic policy-maker. He has been most recently Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. He was appointed to hold the post on June 16, 2004 by the ruling UPA government. Previously, he became the first Director of the Independent Evaluation Office, International Monetary Fund (IMF) on July 9, 2001. Prior to that he was Member of the Indian Planning Commission in the NDA Government.Early life:
Montek Singh Ahluwalia graduated with a B.A. (Hons) degree from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, University of Delhi. He received the BA degree as a Rhodes scholar from the University of Oxford, which became, in the Oxbridge tradition, an MA degree with passage of time. He also received the BPhil degree of Oxford University which the University later reclassified as an MPhil. He has also received an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law from Oxford.
Career:
After Oxford, Mr Ahluwalia joined the World Bank during the tenures of Hollis Chenery and Robert MacNamara. Mr Ahulwalia was said to have become the youngest "Division Chief" at age 28 in the World Bank's bureaucracy. He returned after several years to become a lateral entrant into the Indian Administrative Service.
Prior to taking up his position at the IMF, Mr. Ahluwalia was a Member of the Planning Commission in New Delhi as well as a Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. He had previously served as Finance Secretary at Ministry of Finance, Secretary at Department of Economic Affairs, Commerce Secretary, Special Secretary to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Finance. In 2007 he became a member of the influential Washington-based financial advisory body, the Group of Thirty
His published work includes papers in professional journals and contributions to books. As Congress Led United Progressive Alliance all set to from Next Indian Government, Name of Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has become natural choice for next Finance minister of India.
Personal life:
Ahluwalia is married to fellow economist Isher Judge Ahluwalia and has two children.
For a critical review of aspects of Montek Ahluwalia's economic policy-making, see e.g. "Fallacious Finance: Congress, BJP, CPI-M et al may be leading India to hyperinflation" First published in The Statesman newspaper, March 5 2007 Editorial Page Special Article www.thestatesman.net, now also at http://independentindian.com/2007/03/05/fallacious-finance-the-congress-bjp-cpi-m-et-al-may-be-leading-india-to-hyperinflation/