Economist and PM-EAC chairman Bibek Debroy passes at 69

Well kwn ecomist and chairman of Prime Minister’s ecomic advisory council, Bibek Debroy passed on Friday. He was 69.

What distinguished Bibek Debroy from or ecomists was his profound kwledge of classical Sanskrit and ancient texts, and will be long remembered for translating Puranas, Valmiki Ramayana, and Mahabharata. He was unique in his wide range of interests and scholarly pursuits. From his deep passion for translation work of Sanskrit texts to his dedication towards railway reforms, interests in fountain pens to some uncommon research interests like role of dogs in Indian/Hindu life.

Debroy's ecomic interests and research work covered numerous areas such as ecomic ory, income inequality, and infrastructure financing.

In his long career as ecomist, within and outside government, Debroy (69) also courted various controversies, including one when as director (research) of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies in 2005, he came out with a research paper, rating Gujarat as number one state in India in terms of providing ecomic freedom. He was reportedly shifted reafter. research paper was sponsored by Friedrich-Naumann Stiftung in Germany and published by RGF, which oversees operations of institute.

In September, Debroy resigned as chancellor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Ecomics (GIPE) after Bombay High Court extended interim relief to Vice-Chancellor Ajit Ranade, who was earlier removed from his post.

He was appointed as chancellor of GIPE, a deemed-to-be university, in July. An alumni of Presidency College, Kolkata, Debroy studied at Delhi School of Ecomics (DSE), and Trinity College, Cambridge.

He had worked in Presidency College, Kolkata; Gokhale Institute of Politics and Ecomics, Pune; Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi; and also as Director of a Ministry of Finance/UNDP project on legal reforms. He was also a member of NITI Aayog up to June 5, 2019. He authored and edited several books, papers and popular articles and had also been a consulting/contributing editor with several newspapers.

Besides ecomics, his main interest was in ancient Indian texts and also railways. 
Expressing grief at his passing, Modi said in a post on X, "Dr Bibek Debroy ji was a towering scholar, well-versed in diverse domains like ecomics, history, culture, politics, spirituality and more. Through his works, he left an indelible mark on India's intellectual landscape. Beyond his contributions to public policy, he enjoyed working on our ancient texts, making m accessible to youth." "I have kwn Dr. Debroy for many years. I will fondly remember his insights and passion for academic discourse. Saddened by his passing away. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti," he said.  

He decided to merge Rail Budget with Union Budget from Budget year 2017-18 based on recommendations of committee headed by Debroy. Debroy has translated multiple ancient Sanskrit books into English. se include ten volumes of Mahabharata, three-volume Valmiki Ramayana, Shiva Purana, and abridged version of about a dozen of Mahapuranas.

(With PTI inputs)