Noted economist Bibek Debroy, who served as the chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM), passed away at 69. He died on Friday morning at AIIMS.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Debroy, describing him as a “towering scholar” with profound expertise in economics, history, culture, and spirituality. Modi highlighted Debroy’s contributions to public policy and his efforts to make ancient Indian texts more accessible to younger generations.
Debroy’s academic journey included studies at Ramakrishna Mission School in Narendrapur, Presidency College in Kolkata, Delhi School of Economics, and Trinity College, Cambridge. His professional career included roles at institutions like Presidency College, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, and work on a Ministry of Finance and UNDP project focused on legal reforms.
In addition to his contributions to economic policy, Debroy was highly respected for his translations of Sanskrit classics, such as the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita, which brought these texts closer to contemporary readers. He served as a member of NITI Aayog until 2019 and held editorial roles with various newspapers throughout his career.
