Government has decided to appoint NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya as the Sherpa for G-20 talks, replacing Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. “Government has decided to appoint Arvind Panagariya as the Sherpa for G-20 negotiations. At present, Prabhu is holding this position,” a source said. As per the practice, the Deputy Chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission used to be the Sherpa for G-20 talks.
During the a decade long UPA regime, former Deputy Chairman of the Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia was the sherpa for G-20 talks. “At present, Panagariya is in the US and will be back on Saturday. He will start work on his new role only after he comes back,’ the source said.