New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) Poonam Gupta has joined the economic think-tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) as its new Director General.

Gupta is the first woman Director General of NCAER.

She succeeds Shekhar Shah, who completed his second five-year term in May earlier this year.

Before joining NCAER, Gupta was lead economist, Global Macro and Market Research, International Finance Corporation (IFC); and lead economist for India at the World Bank.

Her erstwhile appointments include the Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP); Professor at Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER); Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Delhi School of Economics; and Economist at the International Monetary Fund.

Meanwhile, the council said Gupta will be leading NCAER's annual flagship Conference the India Policy Forum (IPF), from July 12 through July 15, 2021.

The IPF, now in its 18th year, is an economic policy event, on the academic and policy horizon of New Delhi.

The think-tank said IPF 2021 will feature several eminent speakers, and panellists from India and overseas, as well as top researchers and Indian policymakers.

The last year and a half have been extremely tough for India and the world for both the people and the economy, Gupta said.

"Through our various forums and advocacy events, we at NCAER are trying to do our bit to find ways to mitigate the crisis caused by the pandemic-induced lockdowns and economic recession, and alleviate people's suffering, especially the marginalised sections who have faced the brunt of the impact," she said.

The IPF will focus on these critical issues, with the best of minds from the academic, research and policy communities coming together to seek solutions to deal with the pandemic and restore both economic buoyancy and public confidence, she added.

She holds PhD in International Economics from the University of Maryland, the USA, and a Masters in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.

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