EAC-PM Chairman Bibek Debroy Passes Away

Dr. Bibek Debroy, prominent economist and Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council passed away on Friday at the age of 69. 

Debroy passed away due to intestinal obstruction. He was admitted to All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi. 

The economist was also the Chairman of the Finance Ministry's 'Expert Committee for Infrastructure Classification and Financing Framework for Amrit Kaal'.

Mourning Debroy’s death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X, “I have known Dr. Debroy for many years. I will fondly remember his insights and passion for academic discourse. Saddened by his passing away. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti.” 

He also reminisced that Debroy 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, the PM said. 

President Droupadi Murmu on X posted, “In the demise of Dr. Bibek Debroy the country has lost an eminent public intellectual who enriched diverse fields, from policy making to translating our great scriptures. His understanding of India’s social, cultural and economic landscape was exceptional. For his extraordinary contributions, he was honoured with Padma Shri. I convey my condolences to his family, friends and admirers.”

Debroy has worked in Presidency College, Kolkata (1979-83), Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune (1983-87); Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi (1987-93); as the Director of a Ministry of Finance/UNDP project on legal reforms (1993-98); Department of Economic Affairs (1994-95): National Council of Applied Economic Research (1995-96). 

He further worked in Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies ( 1997-2005); PHD Chamber of Commerce  and  Industry (2005-06); and Centre for Policy Research (2007-2015) Dr. Debroy was also Member, NITI Aayog up to 5th June 2019.  He has also authored/edited several books, papers and popular  articles  and  has also been a consulting editor with several newspapers.