Previous Year Question

Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia was the last Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. According to official PIB records of the Government of India, he assumed charge as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission on 5 July 2004. He subsequently continued in this position for a long period.

On 1 January 2015, the Government of India replaced the Planning Commission with NITI Aayog. The Government subsequently clarified officially that the posts of Deputy Chairman and full-time members of the former Planning Commission ceased to exist. Therefore, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who was Deputy Chairman during the Commission's final phase in 2014, was its last Deputy Chairman.

An important distinction should be remembered: under the former Planning Commission, the Prime Minister served as Chairman, while the Deputy Chairman was a separate position. After the creation of NITI Aayog, the post of Deputy Chairman ceased to exist; NITI Aayog instead has the institutional position of a Vice-Chairperson.