Bibek Debroy

Bibek Debroy (Hindi: बिबेक देबराय, Bengali: বিবেক দেবৰয়, 25 January 1955 – 1 November 2024) was an economist who chaired both the Indian Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council and a Finance Ministry expert committee on infrastructure, contributing significantly to game theory, economic theory, and the study of income and social inequalities, law reforms and railway reforms. From 2015 until 2019, Debroy was a member of an Indian government think tank known as NITI Aayog. He was also a prolific translator of major Sanskrit works — including the ''Rāmāyaṇa'', the ''Mahābhārata'' and several ''Purāṇas'' — into English.

Bibek Debroy's magnum opus, ''Inked in India,'' co-authored with Sovan Roy, is a comprehensive catalogue of India's fountain pen, nib, and ink manufacturers.

India awarded him Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2015 and, posthumously, Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour, in 2025.

He received Lifetime Achievement awards from the US-India Business Summit in 2016 and from the Australia India Chamber of Commerce (AICC) in 2022.

In February 2024, Debroy was conferred an Insolvency Law Academy emeritus fellowship, in recognition of his leadership, public service work and contributions to the insolvency field.

Bibek Debroy died on 1 November 2024, at the age of 69, a month after his admission to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. Provided by Wikipedia