An Expenditure Reforms Commission was set up by the Government of India in the year 2000 under the chairmanship of which of the following persons to review and rationalise public expenditure?

Introduction / Context:
Public expenditure management is a key aspect of economic governance. To control rising non developmental expenditure and improve efficiency, governments sometimes set up expert commissions. In the year 2000, the Government of India constituted an Expenditure Reforms Commission with a specific mandate to examine patterns of expenditure and suggest reforms. This question tests whether you know who chaired that particular commission, which is an often asked fact in Indian polity and economy examinations.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The question refers to an Expenditure Reforms Commission set up in 2000 by the Government of India.
- It asks for the name of the chairperson of this commission.
- Options include several well known public figures such as A M Khusro, G T Nanavati, M N Venkatachaliah, K P Geethakrishnan and Y V Reddy.
- We assume familiarity with major commissions related to finance and governance in India.

Concept / Approach:
To answer this, you must recall the specific association between the Expenditure Reforms Commission and its chairperson. This commission was primarily concerned with suggesting measures to contain non developmental expenditure, rationalise government staffing and improve fiscal discipline. The Ministry of Finance set it up and appointed an experienced civil servant, K P Geethakrishnan, as its chairperson. Other names in the options are associated with different bodies such as judicial commissions, finance related roles or expert committees, but not with this particular commission.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the question carefully and focus on the year 2000 and the name Expenditure Reforms Commission.Step 2: Recall that this commission was linked to the Ministry of Finance and dealt with reducing non productive government expenditure.Step 3: Remember that K P Geethakrishnan, a senior civil servant, was appointed as the chairperson of this commission.Step 4: Compare this memory with the options and identify option D, K P Geethakrishnan, as matching the known fact.Step 5: Eliminate the other options, which relate to different commissions or offices, thereby confirming option D as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
As a verification method, you can cross check standard economics and polity reference books which discuss fiscal reforms in the early two thousand period. They typically mention that the Government of India constituted the Expenditure Reforms Commission under the chairmanship of K P Geethakrishnan. This is also supported by official releases of the Ministry of Finance at that time, which confirms the association firmly. Such cross checks solidify the memory and reduce the chance of confusion with other notable personalities.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
A M Khusro was an economist connected with other financial and planning related roles, but he did not chair the Expenditure Reforms Commission of 2000. G T Nanavati is better known in connection with judicial commissions, such as inquiries into communal disturbances, and therefore option B is incorrect. M N Venkatachaliah, a former Chief Justice of India, headed other commissions such as the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, not this one, so option C is wrong. Y V Reddy served as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and held various economic posts but was not the chairperson of this particular commission, making option E incorrect.

Common Pitfalls:
The main pitfall lies in confusing different commissions and committees because many of them are contemporaneous and deal with economic or constitutional matters. Another common mistake is to assume that very famous names like former Chief Justices or RBI Governors headed all major commissions, while sometimes a senior but less publicly known civil servant leads a specialised body. Careful revision of commission names along with their chairs can help in avoiding such errors in objective examinations.

Final Answer:
K P Geethakrishnan was the chairperson of the Expenditure Reforms Commission set up by the Government of India in the year 2000.