Former member of Planning Commission, former chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices and eminent economist Abhijit Sen died here on Monday night following a heart attack. Prof. Sen was a faculty at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning (CESP) at Jawaharlal Nehru University since 1985 to his superannuation in 2015. Politicians, academics, his students, farmers’ leaders and activists remember him for his contributions in areas such as minimum support price, rural economy and rural employment.
Senior Congress leader and former minister Jairam Ramesh said Prof. Sen was one of India’s finest economists. “Over a period of almost three decades, I learned so much from him. A formidable scholar, he had strong ideological roots but also an open mind. He belonged to a species that is fast becoming extinct,” Mr. Ramesh said.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said Prof. Sen was a fine economist with both his head and heart in the right place. “His work, interventions benefitted many lives and families. I am sure that my friend had much more to say and contribute at this difficult time India is going through. His passing is a big loss to us,” Mr Yechury said.
