Eminent economist K N Raj passes away

Eminent economist Dr K N Raj, 86, died today following problems related to old age, family sources said. He was undergoing treatment at private hospital for quite some time. He is survived by two sons.

Raj, who was held in high esteem by Jawaharlal Nehru, had made significant contributions as an academic and planning expert since 1950s. He was also the co-author of the foreword to India's first Five Year Plan.

After a stint with the Reserve Bank of India and Planning Commission, he returned to teaching with the Economics department of Delhi University and also served as its vice chancellor later.

He returned to his home state Kerala in the 1970s and set up the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), which has now grown to an independent research centre of international repute.

A leftist in his early years, Raj subsequently distanced himself from the country's political Left.

Prime minister Manmohan Singh has condoled the passing away of Prof Raj.

In his condolence message to the professor's son Gopal Raj, the PM described his passing away as a great personal loss and recalled his contributions to the nation as a teacher, a researcher and an institution builder.

"It is with great sorrow and a profound sense of personal loss that I learnt of the passing away of your father Prof KN Raj. I had the privilege of knowing Prof Raj for over four decades. He was a very close friend and a great economist. His contributions to the science of economics as a teacher, a researcher and an institution builder are immense. At a young age of 27, he was invited by the then prime minister Pandit Nehru to help draft India's First Five Year Plan. In his long and illustrious career, he served the government and many institutions with great distinction. Prof Raj was a moving force behind the setting up of the Delhi School of Economics and the Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum," the prime minister noted.