Sign In
Learn bits
Today in News
Mahesh

01/09/22 22:02 PM IST

Economist, former Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen passes away

In News 
  • Abhijit Sen, one of India’s brightest economists who taught as Jawaharlal Nehru University and served in various policy making institutions including the Planning Commission passed away after a heart attack recently.
Abhijit Sen 
  • He was a renowned agriculture economist and former member of the Planning Commission
  • He was also chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) and authored the report of the High-Level Committee on Long Term Grain Policy (2000).
  • Sen studied Physics at St Stephens College Delhi before doing a PhD in Economics from University of Cambridge.
  • His thesis was called “The agrarian constraint to economic development: the case of India”.
  • Sen is also known for his seminal work in poverty and inequality in post-reform India, which he authored with his student (who now teaches economics at JNU) Himanshu.
Reforms suggested in his report
  • Greater diversification and decentralisation of public procurement to include a much larger number of crops and regions
  • Simplifying legal conditions on private trade.
  • Recommended that the CACP be made an empowered statutory body and its fixation of minimum support prices—which the government was bound to accept—be based on the ‘C2’ cost of production.
  • This paved the way for the ‘Swaminathan Formula’ in agriculture (2006)
  • An advocate of decentralized governance: Abhijit was a great believer in the principle of subsidiarity, that solutions to problems are best found closest to where they arise.
  • Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), which Abhijit conceptualised as a Member of, the Planning Commission in 2007. It sought to provide flexibility and autonomy to the States in planning and executing programmes, based on location-specific plans emanating from the districts.
Source- PIB 

More Related Current Affairs View All

21 Aug

Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025

'The Lok Sabha recently passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025.' The bill encourages e-sports and online social games while prohibiting harmful online mo

Read More

21 Aug

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah introduces the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025

'Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah  introduced the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Union Territories (Amendmen

Read More

20 Aug

How should toll collection practices be reformed?

'The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has proposed major changes to toll collection on national highways, including a recommendation to end the practice of perpetual t

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps