Panagariya gets rank and pay of Cabinet minister

 Will Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya be invited to Cabinet meetings like his predecessor Montek Singh Ahluwalia?

Well, he may, after the Prime Minster’s Office seems to have cleared the air on his status and elevated his rank and pay scale to that of a Cabinet minister.

According to official sources, along with the Niti Aayog Vice Chairman, the Prime Minister’s Office has also equated the rank and pay of his colleagues Bibek Debroy and V K Saraswat with the status of Minister of State. Sources said that the order was issued this week.

Salary structure

Until now, Panagariya had the rank of a Cabinet minister, but his salary had been fixed at the level of Cabinet secretary.

The NITI Aayog was set up on January 1, 2015, by a Cabinet resolution to replace the erstwhile Planning Commission.

The new order of the government will override the resolution for elevating the status and salary of vice chairman and members of Aayog