Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia has been a key figure in India’s economic reforms from the mid-1980s onwards.
Shri Ahluwalia was born on November 24, 1943. He received his bachelor’s degree from St. Stephens College, Delhi University. Later he received M.A. and M.Phil. degrees in economics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes scholar. Shri Ahluwalia joined the Government of India in 1979 as economic adviser to the Ministry of Finance, after which he held a series of senior positions. During 2004–14, he served as the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission.
Shri Ahluwalia has received several honorary degrees, including an honorary doctorate in civil law from the University of Oxford. He is an honorary fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and a member of the board of directors of the Global Green Growth Institute, South Korea. For his outstanding contribution to economic policy and public service, he was conferred the prestigious Padma Vibhushan by the President of India in 2011.