Sukhadeo Thorat (born 12 July 1949) an Indian

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

, educationist,

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

. He is the former chairman of the University Grants Commission. He is professor emeritus in Centre for the Study of Regional Development,

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU; ISO: Javāharalāla Neharū Viśvavidyālaya) is a public research university located in Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university ...

. He is an expert on B. R. Ambedkar.

Education

Thorat hails from Buddhist community of Maharashta. Thorat graduated with a B.A. from Milind College of Arts, Aurangabad, Maharashtra. He obtained an M.A. in Economics from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, M.Phil/PhD in Economics from

, and Diploma in Economic Planning, Main School of Planning,

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Academic career

Thorat was lecturer at Vasantrao Naik Mahavidyalaya, Aurangabad from 1973 to 1980. He was Faculty Member at

, New Delhi from 1980 onwards, and visiting faculty at Department of Economics,

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

, Ames, USA during 1989–1991. He has been a research associate of the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC since 1992. He was director, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, New Delhi from January 2003 to February 2006. He served as the chairman of UGC from 2006–2011.

Memberships

Thorat has been a member of bodies like Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), Social Justice Division of Planning Commission, Academic Council of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Centre of Buddhist Studies, University of Hyderabad,

Himachal Pradesh University Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) is a Public university, public State university (India), state university at Summer Hill, Shimla, Summer Hill, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. It was established on 22 July 1970 by ''The Himachal Pradesh University A ...

and in the governing bodies of many more institutions. Thorat was also chairman of Indian Council of Social Science & Research.

Personal life

In 1956, due to the influence of mass conversion of

Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Bhīmrāo Rāmjī Āmbēḍkar; 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on t ...

, Thorat's family converted to

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. Thorat is a Buddhist.

Awards

* Dr. Ambedkar National Award (2011) *

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

(2008) * Dr Ambedkar Chetna Award by Manwatawadi Rachana Manch Jallunder,

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

* The

University of Kalyani The University of Kalyani, established in 1960, is a Government of West Bengal administered, University Grants Commission (India), UGC affiliated, National Assessment and Accreditation Council, NAAC accredited, collegiate public research unive ...

and Avinashilingam University honoured him by conferring D.Litt in April 2007 and September 2007 respectively. * Rajiv Gandhi Outstanding Leadership National Award for the Year 2014, conferred by the Academy of Grassroots Studies and Research of India (AGRASRI), Tirupati.Rajiv Gandhi Outstanding Leadership National Award
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Works

* ''Technological Change and Regional Differentiation: An Analysis of Dry Land Agriculture in Maharashtra''. Khama, Delhi 1993 * ''Linkages between Government Spending, Growth, and Poverty in Rural India'', (with Shenggen Fan, Peter Hazell), Research Report 110, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington D.C., 1999 * ''Slum in Metropolies-Living Environment'', (with Sudesh Nangia), June 2000, Shipra Publication, Delhi. * ''Rural Development-Problem and Prospect', (edited) March 2001, Pravara Rural Development Association * ''Small Hands: Child Labor in South Asia'' (with Kristoffel Lieten & Ravi Srivastava) Manohar, Delhi (2003) * ''Development of Rural Infrastructure in India'' (with Simita Sirohi) Academic Delhi (2004) * ''Industrialization, Economic Reforms and Regional Development: Essays in Honour of Prof Ashok K. Mathur'' (edited) with Jaya Prakash Pradhan & Vinoj Abraham, Shipra Publication (2004), * ''Caste, Race, and Discrimination – Discourse in International Context'' (edited) (with Umakant), Rawat Publication, Jaipur (2004) * ''Reservation and Private Sector: Quest for Equal Opportunity and Growth'' (edited) with Aryama and Prasant Negi (2005) Rawat Pub'lication. * ''Untouchability in Rural India'' Sage, 2006 (with G. Shah, Harsh Mander, Satish Deshpande & Amrita). * ''A Reader in Dalit Studies'' (edited) (with John Webster), (forthcoming) Rawat Publication. * ''Dalit human development report 2006'' (with Rawat), forthcoming. * ''Dalits in India? Social and Economic Profile'' (forthcoming) Sage. * ''Ambedkar's Role in Economic Planning and Water Policy'', August 1998 Shipra Publication, Delhi * ''Ambedkar in Retrospect: Essays in Economics, Society, and Politics'' (edited) with Aryama & Negi. Rawat Publication. Forthcoming * ''Ambedkar on Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy'' (with Narender), forthcoming. He has also authored 70 research papers published in national and international journals. He has worked on more than 25 research projects and has presented papers at national and international seminars and conferences.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorat, Sukhadeo 1949 births Living people 20th-century Indian economists Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni Navayana Buddhists 20th-century Indian Buddhists 21st-century Indian Buddhists Scientists from Maharashtra Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University alumni People from Amravati district Converts to Buddhism from Hinduism Marathi-language writers 20th-century Indian educational theorists 21st-century Indian economists Scholars from Mumbai Dalit writers English-language writers from India Buddhist writers