Montek Singh Ahluwalia

Description

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, famous economist and renowned civil servant, was born on 24th November 1943 in Delhi. After his schooling at Delhi Public School, mathura road, he got his B.A. (honours) Degree St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. He continued his further education at the University of Oxford and obtained Master’s degree in Philosophy Politics and Economics. He then joined St Antony’s College Oxford, where he obtained an M.Phil. He was also conferred several honorary degrees, including an honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law from the Oxford University and an honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. He is an Honorary Fellow of Magdalen College. He started his carrer in World Bank, where he was youngest “Division Chief” in the World Bank’s bureaucracy, in charge of the Income Distribution Division in the World Bank’s Development Research Centre. He returned to India in 1979 to take up the position of Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance.  He held several senior positions as a civil servant, including Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Commerce secretary, Secretary Department of Economic Affairs in the Finance Ministry and Finance Secretary. In 1998 he was appointed Member of the Planning Commission. In 2001, he was chosen by the Board of International Monetary Fund to be the first director of the newly created Independent Evaluation Office, in which capacity he supervised several studies critical of various aspects of the functioning of the IMF. In June 2004, he resigned from the IMF position to take up as the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission as part of the United Progressive Alliance government in New Delhi. He was a part of Dr. Manmohan Singh team when economic reforms were under taken by him. He has also written on various aspects of India’s economic reforms and on the inclusiveness of India’s growth process. In planning commission and 11th and 12th five year plan were made and carried forward under his supervision. Some other books dealing with planning and economics progress of the country were also written by him. Considering his services, the President of India awarded him the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honor for public service. The high positions held by him and the honors bestowed upon him in India and abroad make him a role model in the field of public service. His wife Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia is also a renowned economist of India.