Source :ML:May 19, 2010 06:19 PM 

Dr KP Krishnan may soon join the prime minister's Economic Advisory Council (EAC) as secretary. Besides advising on policy matters referred to the Council from time to time, the EAC also prepares a monthly report on economic developments both in India and abroad

Dr KP Krishnan, joint secretary of capital markets in the finance ministry, may soon join the prime minister's Economic Advisory Council (EAC) as secretary. According to sources, Dr Krishnan is likely to be replaced by Dr Thomas Mathew, the deputy director general of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).

Dr Krishnan, who belongs to the 1983 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) batch, had earlier worked as managing director, Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation, and secretary for Urban Development and secretary for Finance Department, government of Karnataka. He has also worked as advisor to the executive director of the World Bank in Washington, DC.

Dr Mathew is also an officer from the 1983 IAS batch. Earlier, he had held several positions in the ministries of information & broadcasting, petroleum & natural gas, industries and defence— amongst others. He has been working at the IDSA since 2007.

The EAC to the prime minister was constituted on 29 December 2004. Dr C Rangarajan is the current chairman of the PM's EAC.

Apart from providing advice on policy matters referred to the Council by the PM from time to time, the EAC also prepares a monthly report on economic developments both in India and abroad for the PM. It monitors economic trends on a regular basis and brings to the PM’s attention important developments and suggests suitable policy responses.