Bibek Debroy, chairman of PM’s Economic Advisory Council, no more

File picture of Bibek Debroy, chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minster
| Photo Credit: PTI

Noted author and economist Bibek Debroy, who has been the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council chairman since 2017, has passed away on Friday (November 1, 2024) at the age of 69.

Mr. Debroy was also a member of the Niti Aayog, which had replaced the erstwhile Planning Commission, till mid-2019, and had wide-ranging interests beyond economics. He was also a Sanskrit scholar who had translated the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads into English.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Mr. Debroy on X, stating that “he left an indelible mark on India’s intellectual landscape”.

“Dr. Bibek Debroy Ji was a towering scholar, well-versed in diverse domains like economics, 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 them accessible to the youth,” wrote Mr. Modi.

Early years

After his schooling at Ramakrishna Mission School, Narendrapur, Mr. Debroy had studied at Presidency College, Kolkata, followed by the Delhi School of Economics and Trinity College, Cambridge. Starting with a teaching stint at his alma mater Presidency College, Mr. Debroy had worked at the Gokhale Institute of Economics and Politics in Pune, followed by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in the national capital.

The economist also spent a year with the Department of Economic Affairs in the Finance Ministry in the mid-1990s, but one of his longest serving roles was the directorship of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies (RGICS) between 1997 and 2005.

At RGICS, the think-tank affiliated with the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, a report steered by Mr. Debroy and published in 2005, had created a flutter in the first year of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA regime by naming Gujarat, then under Chief Minister Narendra Modi, as India’s top State on an index to measure economic freedom.

This had led to a protracted and heated debate on the Gujarat model of development, and amid unease in the Congress ranks over the report, Mr. Debroy eventually moved on to the Punjab Haryana Delhi Chamber of Commerce and Industry or PHDCCI.

Tributes pour in

Union Minister Dharemendra Pradhan also shared his admiration of Mr. Debroy on the news of his passing.

“Deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Bibek Debroy. He was a distinguished economist, a prolific author as well as an excellent academician. He will be admired for his policy guidance on economic issues and noteworthy contributions to India’s development. His columns in newspapers enriched and enlightened millions. Dr. Debroy leaves behind a lasting legacy in the world of economics, academia and literature. My sincere condolences to his family and friends,” wrote Mr. Pradhan.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that Mr. Debroy was “always thought-provoking, commentator in the media on public issues going well beyond economics”.

“A man of unusually wide-ranging interests, Bibek Debroy was first and foremost a fine theoretical and empirical economist who worked and wrote on various aspects of the Indian economy. He also had a special skill for lucid exposition, in a manner that would make laypersons easily understand complex economic issues. Over the years, he has had numerous institutional affiliations and he left his mark everywhere,” said Mr. Ramesh.