Renowned economist Sengupta passes away

Renowned development economist Arjun Kumar Sengupta, passed way last evening. Sengupta who was 73, is survived by his wife Jayshree Sengupta and daughter Madhura Sengupta who is a teacher in Canada. Sengutpa was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences where he later passed away.

Sengupta's multifaced career spanned diverse domains from academics, economic policy and parliament.

''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.

On completing his Ph D from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sengupta took up teaching assignments 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 and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in August 2005.

According to C Rangarajan, chairman, PM's Economic Advisory Council, Sengupta was as an outstanding economist and a key figure in policy making.
He said Sengupta was a career bureaucrat and 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.

His concern and understanding for the underprivileged is reflected in several of his suggestions for the unorganised sector. Sengupta was appointed chairman of the National Commission for Enterprises in the unorganised and informal sector in 2004. According to analysts, the commissions voluminous report is one of the most comprehensive documents on the condition of the unorganised sector workers in India. The commission's recommendations on social security led to the enactment of the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008.