Bibek Debroy, economist and PM-EAC chairman, passes away at 69

In July 2024, Debroy was appointed Chancellor of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune

Bibek Debroy, a distinguished economist who served as the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) since September 2017, died on November 1. He was 69.

Debroy passed away today 7 AM because of intestinal obstruction, news agency ANI reported citing AIIMS Delhi.

Debroy made significant contributions to India's policy-making and Indology. Educated at Ramakrishna Mission School, Narendrapur; Presidency College, Kolkata; Delhi School of Economics; and Trinity College, Cambridge, Dr. Debroy held various notable positions throughout his career. These included positions at Presidency College, Kolkata, and Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, and the National Council of Applied Economic Research.

Dr. Debroy was also Member, NITI Aayog up to June 5, 2019.

In 2015, Debroy was honoured with the Padma Shri for his contributions to literature and education. He has authored numerous books and articles on economics and translated ancient Indian texts, including the Mahabharata and the Puranas, into English.

In July 2024, Debroy was appointed Chancellor of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune. However, he resigned from this position in September amid controversies surrounding the termination of the institute's Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Ajit Ranade.

In an interview with Moneycontrol earlier this year, Debroy batted for a new estimate of poverty. He had said the estimate provided by the Tendulkar committee is more than a decade old.

Following the announcement, political leaders and others condoled the news of his death.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Debroy has 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," Modi said in a post on X.

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 Indias intellectual landscape. Beyond his contributions to public policy, he enjoyed pic.twitter.com/E3DETgajLr Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 1, 2024

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Debroy was "very prolific", always "thought-provoking" and will be remembered as a genuine "Sanskritist of great erudition".

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 easilyJairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 1, 2024

Journalist and author Rahul Pandita said he was 'shocked' to hear the news. "I am shocked to hear about the passing away of Bibek Debroy. He was a wonderful scholar, someone very generous with sharing his knowledge. I just met him a few weeks ago; he was very excited about starting fresh work on the Puranas."