Baidyanath Misra (22 November 1920 – 8 May 2019) was an Indian economist, educator, author, and administrator from the state of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Deputy-Chairman of Odisha State Planning Board, Chairman of Odisha's First State Finance Commission, Secretary of Odisha State Welfare Board, founder Secretary and President of Orissa Economics Association, and the founder Director and Chairman of Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies. He wrote 16 books in English and 20 in Odia. He was also a columnist in several leading Odia journals and newspapers. He organised several camps across Odisha, for helping the cause of the poor and downtrodden.

Education

Misra received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Ravenshaw University, followed by a Master of Arts degree from the

University of Allahabad The University of Allahabad is a Central university (India), Central University located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. It was established on 23 September 1887 by an act of Parliament and is recognised as an Institute of National Importance (INI). ...

in 1948, and was the topper at both the institutions. He was also the first Odia topper of the Faculty of Arts and the Department of Economics of Allahabad University. He received two gold medals from

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu (Birth name, née Chattopadhyay) (; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist and poet who served as the first Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Governor of United Provinces, after Independence Day (India), Indi ...

(the then ex officio Chancellor of the University of Allahabad, being the Governor of the United Provinces) during the convocation, one each from the Arts faculty and the Economics department. He completed another master's degree in economics from

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School ( ) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton ...

on a

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

, where he studied under the

Nobel laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...

Simon Kuznets Simon Smith Kuznets ( ; rus, Семён Абра́мович Кузне́ц, p=sʲɪˈmʲɵn ɐˈbraməvʲɪtɕ kʊzʲˈnʲets; April 30, 1901 – July 8, 1985) was a Russian-born American economist and statistician who received the 1971 Nobe ...

. After returning to India, he did a PhD from

Utkal University Utkal University (UU) is a public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. The university was established in 1943 and was operating from Ravenshaw College ...

Career

45th annual conference of the Orissa Economics Association

Having started his career as a lecturer in Ravenshaw College, he moved to

as a professor and the head of the department of Analytical & Applied Economics, where he instituted two academic chairs, funded by the

Reserve Bank of India Reserve Bank of India, abbreviated as RBI, is the central bank of the Republic of India, and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system and Indian rupee, Indian currency. Owned by the Ministry of Finance (India), Min ...

and the

State Bank of India State Bank of India (SBI) is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational Public sector undertakings in India, public sector bank and financial service body headquartered in Mumbai. It is the largest bank in India with a 23% market shar ...

. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology from 1981 to 1985. During his tenure as the VC of OUAT, he established the College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar, College of Agriculture, Sambalpur, College of Home Science, Bhubaneswar, and the College of Fisheries, Ganjam. He headed the Odisha State Planning Board from 1985 to 1990. In 1987, he founded the Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies (NCDS), in Bhubaneswar, which is jointly funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR),

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

, and the

Government of Odisha The Government of Odisha and its Districts of Odisha, 30 districts consists of an executive branch, executive, led by the List of Governors of Odisha, Governor of Odisha, a judiciary, and a legislative branch. Like other states in India, the ...

. He was also a member of the panel of economists of the

Planning Commission of India The Planning Commission was an institution in the Government of India which formulated India's Five-Year Plans, among other functions. In his first Independence Day speech in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his intention to diss ...

and the Odisha Pay Commission.

Recognition

* He received an honorary doctorate from KIIT University in 2012, for his contributions to Economics. * The Chief Minister of Odisha,

Naveen Patnaik Naveen Patnaik (; born 16 October 1946) is an Indian politician and writer, who served as the 14th List of Chief Ministers of Odisha, Chief Minister of Odisha from 5 March 2000 to 12 June 2024. His 24-year reign is the List of longest-serving I ...

, conferred on him the Think Odisha Leadership Award in 2010, jointly with the

AICTE The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is a statutory body, and a national-level council for technical education, under the Department of Higher Education (India), Department of Higher Education. Established in November 1945 firs ...

Chairman and the Director of IIT Kharagpur, Damodar Acharya, for their contributions in the field of education. * He was also awarded the Odisha Sahitya Academy Award in 1996, for his contributions to Odia literature, in addition to the Nandighosh award and Vishub Milan award.

Family

He was born to Mahadev Misra and Manika Devi, in Khordha. He was married to Basanti Misra, a homemaker and a post-graduate in arts. The couple's children include a daughter, Bijayalaxmi, who is married to Ajatsatru Tripathy, an

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

; and three sons, Basant, who did his MS general surgery from

Delhi University The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...

and MCh in neurosurgery from AIIMS, New Delhi, and is the Chief of Surgery and the Chairman of Neurosurgery at Hinduja Hospitals; Jayant, who did graduation in electrical engineering from

IIT Roorkee The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT- Roorkee or IIT-R) is a technical university located in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India. It is the oldest engineering institution in India. It was founded as the College of Civil Engineering in 1847 d ...

and MEP from IIM Ahmedabad, and is currently Director & Chief Operating Officer of Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys; and Sukant, who did post-graduation and doctorate in economics from

and

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

, and is currently dean and vice-provost at Texas Technical University.

Legacy

* The Orissa Economics Association annually organises the Prof. Baidyanath Misra Lecture in his memory. The association also presents the Professor Baidyanath Misra Best Paper Award. * His eldest son and a noted neurosurgeon, Basant Misra, started the Baidyanath Neurosurgery Charitable Trust, in his honour.

Bibliography

English

* Economic Profile of India * Economic Liberalisation and Regional Disparities in India * Economics of Public Finance * Capitalism, Socialism and Planning * Development, Deprivation, and Welfare Policy * Poverty, Unemployment and Rural Development * Population Stabilisation and Development * Growth and Governance * Structural Change * Fiscal Policy in the Context of Planning: An Analysis of Keynesian Economics in Relation to Economic Development * Reference Orissa: An Indian State of Eastern Region * Cooperative Movement in India: A Case Study of an Indian State * Studies in the Economics of Farm Management in Cuttack District, Orissa * Socialism and Market Economy: Proceedings of Seminar on Socialism and Market Economy * Agro-industries and Economic Development: A Vision for the 21st Century * Seminar Papers on Rural Development * Agricultural Development: Problems and Prospects * Economic Development of Orissa * Political Economy of Development * Strategy of Development Planning * Contemporary Economic System * Pursuit of Destiny (Autobiography)

Odia

* Anucintā * Ārthanītikayojanā * Puñjibāda, sāmyabāda, o Gāndhibāda * Rāmarājyare aśānti * Rājanītira sukha duḥkha * Smr̥ti-tīrtha * Samāja o sabhyatā * Sāmājika mūlyabodha

Other publications

60 Research Papers, 10 Research Reports. He regularly contributed articles to Odia magazines and Odia newspapers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Misra, Baidyanath Ravenshaw University alumni University of Allahabad alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Wharton School alumni Utkal University alumni Indian agricultural economists 20th-century Indian economists 20th-century Indian social scientists 20th-century Indian educators Heads of universities and colleges in India Odisha academics 1920 births 2019 deaths Writers from Odisha Odia-language writers Recipients of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award Academic staff of Utkal University 20th-century Indian male writers