Eminent Economist & Former Chairman of PMEAC, Prof. Suresh Tendulkar expired

Eminent economist Prof. Suresh Tendulkar who played a significant part in moulding the government’s economic policy making died of a cardiac arrest in Pune on 21 June 2011. At the time of death, he was one of the directors of the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India. Prof. Tendulkar contributed significantly to the Central Board's deliberations, also serving as Chairperson of the Eastern Region Local Board and Chairperson of the Human Resources Sub-Committee.

 A Ph.D in economics from Harvard University and Professor of Economics at the Delhi School of Economics (University of Delhi) from 1978 to 2004, Prof. Tendulkar was a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) from 2004 to 2008. He was the Chairman of PMEAC from 2008 to 2009 when C. Rangarajan vacated the chief’s position to enter the Rajya Sabha.

Prof. Tendulkar worked extensively on poverty and estimation of people below poverty line (BPL). In his report submitted in November 2009 as Chairman of an expert group on the methodology for estimation of poverty constituted by the Planning Commission, he estimated that every third Indian is living in poverty and the number of the poor has shot up by nearly 10 per cent to over 37 per cent. The report had pointed out that 41.8 per cent of the rural population spend a meagre sum of Rs 447 a month on essential necessities like food, fuel, light, clothing and footwear. Earlier, the Centre used to estimate poverty by measuring calorie intake by individuals. The Tendulkar committee however moved to a wider definition, including spending on food as well as education, health, and clothing.

Agreeing with the estimation of the expert group, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia had said: “Personally, I think the recommendation made by the Tendulkar report regarding higher number of people that need to be covered under BPL schemes is reasonable.
The endorsement of the Tendulkar report’s view by then Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Ahluwalia assumed significance at that point of time as the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on the Food Security Bill was then deliberating on the number of people to be declared beneficiaries under the Act. According to the report, the number of the country’s poor would stand increased by 10 per cent, the BPL cardholder list would also go up to a little over eight crore as compared to the obsolete data which pegged the figure at 6.5 crore.

Prof. Tendulkar also did extensive work on credit and privatisation policies and Indian development issues and policies, including liberalisation and globalisation. He was also a part-time member of the National Statistical Commission (2000-01), the first Disinvestment Commission (1996-99), and the Fifth Central Pay Commission (1994-97) appointed by the government. Tendulkar had succeeded Rangarajan as the chairman of the National Statistical Commission.

Tendulkar authored several books like Reintegrating India with the World Economy and Understanding Reforms.