New Delhi, 1 Nov

Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) Chairman Bibek Debroy passed away on Friday, a senior EAC-PM official said.

He was admitted to AIIMS Thursday night.

"He was admitted with subacute intestinal obstruction. He also suffered from hypertension and diabetes mellitus," an official source at AIIMS, Delhi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Debroy's passing and called him a "towering scholar".

In recognition of his contributions, Debroy received the Padma Shri award in 2015.

Debroy (69) was an alumnus of Ramakrishna Mission School, Narendrapur; Presidency College, Kolkata; Delhi School of Economics; and Trinity College, Cambridge.

He had worked in Presidency College, Kolkata; Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune; Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi; and also as the Director of a Ministry of Finance/UNDP project on legal reforms.

He was also a Member of NITI Aayog up to 5 June, 2019.

He authored/edited several books, papers and popular articles and had also been a Consulting/Contributing Editor with several newspapers.

Expressing grief at his passing, Modi said in a post on X, "Dr Bibek Debroy ji was a towering scholar, well-versed in diverse domains like economics, history, culture, politics, spirituality and more. Through his works, he left an indelible mark on India's intellectual landscape. Beyond his contributions to public policy, he enjoyed working on our ancient texts, making them accessible to the youth."

"I have known Dr. Debroy for many years. I will fondly remember his insights and passion for academic discourse. Saddened by his passing away. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti," he said.

In September, Debroy resigned as chancellor of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) after the Bombay High Court extended interim relief to Vice-Chancellor Ajit Ranade, who was earlier removed from his post.

He was appointed as chancellor of GIPE, a deemed to be university, in July.-PTI