Padma Bhushan Awardee and Indian-American development economist Padma Desai passed away

Category : Obituaries Published on: May 12 2023

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An Indian-American development economist and Padma Bhushan award winner, Padma Desai passed away at the age of 92 in New York, the United States of America (USA).
She was born in Surat, British India (now in Gujarat) in 1931.
She was the Gladys and Roland Harriman Professor of Comparative Economic Systems and Director of the Center for Transition Economies in 1992 at Columbia University in New York, USA.
She is well known for her scholarship on Soviet and Indian industrial policy.
In 1968 she co-authored a book titled “India: Planning for Industrialization” with Jagdish Bhagwati.
Other noted books authored by Padma Desai include, The Soviet Economy: Problems and Prospects (1987); Perestroika in Perspective: The Design and Dilemmas of Soviet Reform (1989); Work Without Wages: Russia’s Nonpayment Crisis.
In 2013 she published her memoirs titled “Breaking Out: An Indian Woman’s American Journey” in the USA.
In 2009, the Government of India honoured her with Padma Bhushan for literature and education.