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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Developmental economist Arjun Sengupta passes away

Developmental economist Arjun Sengupta passes away

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published Published on Sep 27, 2010   modified Modified on Sep 27, 2010

Arjun Kumar Sengupta, a developmental economist and Member of the Rajya Sabha, passed away on Sunday evening. He was 73 and is survived by his wife Jayshree Sengupta and daughter Madhura Sengupta who teaches in Canada. He has had a multi-faceted career as a academician, economic policy administrator and a Parliamentarian.

“I am deeply grieved to learn about the sad demise of Dr Arjun Kumar Sengupta, Member of Parliament. He will always be remembered for his contributions when he served as Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Ambassador of India to the European Union, Member, Planning Commission and Chairman, National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector,” said M Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India.

After completing his Ph.D from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he taught at the London School of Economics and the Delhi School of Economics. He was Special Secretary (Economic Advisor) to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during 1981-84. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in August 2005. C Rangarajan, Chairman, PM’s Economic Advisory Council, remembers Sengupta as an outstanding economist and a key figure in policy making. “He was a career bureaucrat. He had a good understanding of social problems and was deeply touched and involved in finding solutions for people at the bottom of the population pile,” he said. This was truly reflected in a number of his suggestions for the unorganised sector. He was appointed Chairman of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised and Informal Sector in 2004. The Commission’s voluminous report is one of the most comprehensive documents on the condition of unorganised workers in India. Its recommendations on social security led to the enactment of the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008. His studies have reflected cross-linkages between extreme poverty and the downtrodden. “His dedication, sense of public service and honesty serve as an inspiration to all,” Vice President Ansari said.

Sengupta also worked with the International Monetary Fund, Washington DC as Executive Director for India, Bangladesh and Bhutan and as Special Advisor to the Managing Director during 1985-90. Sengupta was the Indian Ambassador to the European Union, 1990-93.  During 1993-98 he served as Member and Member Secretary of the Planning Commission. Suresh Tendulkar, former Chairman of the PM’s Economic Advisory Council said, “Although I did not work directly with him, he was a close friend and a brilliant mind.”

Ravi Srivastava, Professor at JNU and member in NCEUS, who worked closely with Sengupta for over a decade said, “His passing away is an enormous loss to people who have been involved in development issues. His reports are internationally recognised and will be remembered as some of the most important on the state of unorganised sector.” Sengupta not only focused on carrying his ideas into recommendations but also pushed them with the government.

“Remarkably, he never spoke about his illness or let it show. In fact, when he was in the ICU some months ago and one of his colleagues called him, he said, ‘I have so much to talk to you. Come and see me whenever you can’,” said Srivastava.

He was also an Independent Expert on the Right to Development and later on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty, Human Rights Commission, Geneva. As an MP, he served on several important committees, including the Committee on External Affairs, the Committee on Labour, and the Committee on Public Undertakings. He was also the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, and served as the chairperson of several other academic institutions, including the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development and Research and Information Systems.

His cremation will be held on Monday, September 27, at 11 am at the Lodi Crematorium, Delhi.


The Indian Express, 27 September, 2010, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Developmental-economist-Arjun-Sengupta-passes-away/688542


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