Noted economist BPR Vithal dies at 93

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, June 19

A former member of the Tenth Finance Commission and noted economist, BPR Vithal, died here on Friday. He was 93.

A former bureaucrat of the 1950 batch, he had earlier served the Hyderabad Civil Services and also as Secretary, finance, and planning in the government of Andhra Pradesh from 1972 to 1982 and as Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board.

Vithal is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons. One of his sons, Sanjay Baru, was also the media adviser to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

An eminent economist, Vithal had also served as the chairman of the Expenditure Commission, Government of Kerala. Besides, he also served the International Monetary Fund as a Fiscal Adviser to the governments of Sudan and Malawi.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) condoled the death of the economist and, in his message to the family, said he was saddened to learn about the death of an economic genius.

Vithal had studied at Madrasa-e-Aliya high school, Hyderabad; graduated from Madras Christian College and joined the Hyderabad Civil Service in 1944, qualifying for IAS in 1950.

In 1942, Vithal quit his undergraduate studies at Nizam College, Hyderabad, and attended the Quit India session of the Indian National Congress in Mumbai and actively participated in the national movement.

Vithal has also many publications to his credit. His essay “The Telangana Surpluses: A Case Study” played an influential role in shaping the demand for a separate state of Telangana. He also established the Centre for Economic and Social Studies in Hyderabad.