Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Economic Advisory Council chairman Bibek Debroy dies at 69.
Renowned economist Bibek Debroy, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, passed away at the age of 69 on Friday.
Expressing his grief, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a tribute on social media platform X, saying, “Dr. Bibek Debroy Ji was an eminent scholar, with vast knowledge in various fields like economics, history, culture, politics, spirituality and more. His works, he has left an indelible mark on the Indian intellectual scene. his background in public policy, he enjoyed working on our ancient texts, making them accessible to young people.
Congress leader and RS MP Jairam Ramesh also mourned the passing away of Bibek Debroy.
“A man with an unusually wide range of interests, Bibek Debroy first became a rational economist who worked and wrote about various aspects of the Indian economy. He also had a special ability to explain clearly, in a way that would make common people easily understand complex economic issues. Over the years, he has had many associations and has left his mark all over place, and always thinking, commentator in the media on social issues that go beyond economics. Ramesh said in a post on X.
Debroy was celebrated for his significant contributions to economic policy and research. He also chaired the ‘Expert Committee on Infrastructure Decentralization and Amrit Kaal Financial Framework,’ an initiative to elevate India’s economic landscape over the next 25 years.
Born on January 25 to a Bengali family in Shillong, Debroy’s educational journey began at Ramakrishna Mission School, Narendrapur, followed by studies at Presidency College, Kolkata, Delhi School of Economics, and Trinity College, Cambridge. His teaching career included stints at Presidency College, Kolkata (1979-83), Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune (1983-87), and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi (1987-93).
From 1993 to 1998, he worked as Director of the Ministry of Finance and the UNDP project on legal reforms, and in 1994-95, he worked with the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Since its inception, Debroy has been an integral part of NITI Aayog, the government’s premier think tank.
During his career, Debroy made important contributions to economics, with interests in game theory, income inequality, poverty, legal reform and railway policy. He was also a noted scholar of Indian literature and culture, and his ten-volume translation of the Mahabharata was praised for its clarity and accessibility.
Debroy leaves behind a legacy as a thought leader who had a major impact on the intellectual and economic development of India. (ANI)
