Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has expressed his willingness to return and help India fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Bengaluru: Raghuram Rajan, former RBI Governor is willing to offer his services again, if sought.
As reported by Republic TV, he said, "Look, I think this is a time of emergency. And there are no bygones. I'm an Indian citizen and I am very very closely engaged in seeing what's happening to India and worrying about it every day. Any Indian citizen, when called upon, will do what is necessary in a time of need, so I don't think that is an issue. I think the real issue is how any resolution has to be enmeshed with medium and long-term - that we weren't in a great place to begin with - and how we reassure our citizens as well as the foreign and domestic investors that after we deal with the virus we don't go back to status-quo - that we move forward that we reach a better place. That is really what's needed in the country today."
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Raghuram Rajan was appointed by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the RBI Governor. He was also the chief economic advisor before that. In the year 2016, he opted out of adding a 2-year extension to his 3-year. Later, he returned to the world of academics in the US, occasionally weighing in on prevailing economic and increasingly political issues in India, but largely refraining from 'telling-all' about his departure.
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Interestingly, Raghuram Rajan has also urged the government to take the help of anyone, including members of the opposition parties, if required to repair the mess.
He said, "There is much to do. The government should call on people with proven expertise and capabilities, of whom there are so many in India, to help it manage its response. It may even want to reach across the political aisle to draw in members of the opposition who have had experience in previous times of great stress like the global financial crisis. If, however, the government insists on driving everything from the PMO, with the same overworked people, it will do too little, too late."
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