india

Updated: Dec 11, 2018 10:23 IST

Economist Surjit Bhalla said on Tuesday that he has resigned from the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC), a body set up by the Modi government as part of its efforts to boost growth.

Bhalla, who has been on several government committees and is also a columnist, resigned as part-time member of the council on December 1.

The five-member EAC, headed by Niti Aayog member Bibek Debroy, also has Ratan Watal as its full-time member, and economists Rathin Roy and Ashima Goyal as part-time members.

Bhalla’s resignation announcement came a day after Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel’s shocking exit citing “personal reasons”—nearly 10 months before the end of his term—amid a tussle with the government over policy matters.

India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth fell to 7.1% between July 31 and September 30, a decline of 1.1 percentage points compared to the period between April 30 and June 30. It has been dragged down by a slower consumer spending and farm growth.

Bhalla has taught at the Delhi School of Economics and has authored academic articles as well as books on globalisation and its effects on the world economy. He was also member of the Secondary Market Advisory Committee of SEBI and of the National Statistical Commission of India.