Urjit Patel is the new governor of RBI
Moneylife Digital Team 20 August 2016
The government on Saturday appointed eminent economist, consultant and banker Dr Urjit Patel as new governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He will replace Dr Raghuram Rajan. 
 
Dr Patel was Deputy Governor of RBI looking after monetary policy, economic policy research, statistics and information management, deposit insurance, communication and right to information. 
 
On 11 January 2013, Dr Patel was appointed as Deputy Governor of RBI for a period of three years. He took over charge of the vital Monetary Policy Department, succeeding Subir Gokarn to the post.
 
Dr Patel obtained his BA from the London School of Economics [LSE, University of London], M Phil degree from Oxford University in 1986. He received his doctorate in Economics from Yale University in 1990. He joined International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a Kenyan citizen. He was at IMF India desk during the 1991-1994 transition period. He was posted to IMF country mission in India 1992-1995. He has also been a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution since 2009.
 
Comments
MG Warrier
10 years ago
The decision to appoint Urjit Patel as 24th RBI Governor will be welcomed by all including the outgoing Governor Dr Raghuram Rajan, who was visibly concerned during recent weeks, about unfinished work he would be leaving for his successor. As Patel was associated with most of the policy pushes Rajan initiated, there is no immediate risk of a diversion under pressure from any quarters.
Though 3 years is too short a period, the history of RBI for the current period, when it is written, will have a lot to cover under ‘Rajan Era’. Here, there is an advantage arising from Dr Rajan’s innocence and outspokenness (which, in a way cut short his stay at Mint Road!) for those who will be recording the history. They do not have to wait for Rajan to write his memoirs. They can as well scan the speeches made and interviews given by him during the three years.
One regret. GOI has again gone by a wrong template while appointing RBI Governor. The appointment this time should have been for 5 years’ tenure in the first place. Of course, it would be tough to ignore political pressures at every stage.
In a lighter vein, one is tempted to console Subramanian Swamy that his accusation that Dr Rajan did not study economics at undergraduate level has been taken into account in making a choice as Urjit Patel went for higher studies after graduation in economics!
M G Warrier, Mumbai
Ashok Visvanathan
10 years ago
Is Urjit Patel also a green card holder ?
Suketu Shah
Replied to Ashok Visvanathan comment 10 years ago
mainly is he prodigy of PC like American Rajan was?
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