Lecture of The Political-Economic Alliance: Myth or Reality

The Departments of Economics and Political Science of The Bhawanipur Education Society College organized a special lecture on, ‘The Political –Economic Alliance: Myth or Reality’ on September 17, 2014 at the 6th floor auditorium. The lecture session was a part of our Special Lectures Series and was attended by teachers and students of our college as well as from other colleges.

Professor Sugata Marjit, Reserve Bank of India Professor of Industrial Economics, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta and Professor Partha Pratim Basu, Professor, Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University were the Guest Speakers on this occasion.

At the beginning, Dr. Suchandra Chakravarty, Vice Principal, extended a hearty welcome to the speakers.

Professor Marjit spoke on the linkages between economic development and political participation. Professor Marjit highlighted the role of pragmatic policy making in delivering maximum benefits to the people. In this connection, Professor Marjit spoke about the ability of those at the helm of decision making process to formulate and make relevant changes in the regulatory framework with the objective of enabling the system to function more efficiently. In this context he highlighted some of his personal experiences while acting as the Chairman of the Higher Education Council, Government of West Bengal. Professor Marjit highly acclaimed the contributions made by India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and West Bengal’s iconic Chief Minister Dr. Bidhan Roy.

Professor Partha Pratim Basu spoke at length on the evolution of Indian economy through different policy regimes. Professor Basu pointed out the distinct phases of India’s policy making and the economic philosophies which influenced them. He highlighted the significance of the paradigm shift of India’s economic structure initiated by Dr. Manmohan Singh, under the aegis of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao in 1991. Professor Basu also spoke on the objectives, tasks and the approach of the newly elected Narendra Modi government. In his concluding remark, Professor Basu observed that the role of the State was not retracting in the background of an expanding Indian market economy.

The lectures were keenly heard and students interacted spontaneously during the question answer session.