Previous Year Question
The first Indian appointed as the chief economist of the World Bank in September, 2012 is
Amartya Sen
Jagadish Bhagawati
Kaushik Basu
Vijay Kelkar
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
On 5 September 2012, the then World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim announced the appointment of Kaushik Basu as the World Bank's Chief Economist and Senior Vice President. He assumed the position on 1 October 2012.
Kaushik Basu was the first Indian to become Chief Economist of the World Bank. He was also the second person from the developing world to hold the position.
Immediately before his World Bank appointment, he had served as the Chief Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. He was also a Professor of Economics and C. Marks Professor of International Studies at Cornell University.
His major academic work has covered fields such as Development Economics, Welfare Economics and Industrial Organisation. He also holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics.