The Young Economist School (YES), a student run initiative of the University of Hyderabad is organising a National Economic Conference(NEC) 2013 at the C V Raman Auditorium from 10th May to 12thMay 2013. The theme of the conference is “Crisis in economics as a discipline and its implications on the Indian Economy”. The theme has a great resonance given the prevalent economic scenario in the country. The inaugural session was on 10th May 2013 at 9:30 am in the C V Raman Auditorium on the campus.
The Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Dr. P K Mohanty who was the Chief Guest of the ceremony delivered a passionate lecture on the different economic discourses in developed and developing countries. He stressed on the fact that the role of government is often undermined in many countries when the economic landscape requires the opposite. The economic reality does not often conform to the elegant econometric modeling. There are several factors operating in the real economy that generate distortions that render the textbook solutions toothless. Dr. Mohanty made a passionate appeal to young scholars to contribute to better understanding of the economic issues at hand and provide solutions for the same.
Dr. JVM Sarma, the faculty coordinator of the NEC welcomed the distinguished guests that included the Chief Secretary Dr. Mohanty, Prof. C H Hanumantha Rao, Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad, Prof. Ramakrishna Ramaswamy, Vice Chancellor of UoH and R Radhakrishna, Honorary Professor at Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad and Prof. B Kamaiah, Dean-in-Charge, School of Economics, University of Hyderabad.
Prof. Ramaswamy was extremely appreciative of the fact that the School of Economics is one of the few schools in the country that offers a wide range of courses in economics. He congratulated the YES team for organizing the NEC- a first for the School of Economics. He emphasized on conserving the holistic environment of the university which boasts of great natural beauty. He said that economics as a discipline has a huge stake in devising sustainable models.
Dr. Kamaiah said that the economics programme of the School ranks as one of the best in the country and the quality of research work done in the university is commendable and programmes such as the NEC is a positive step that will give the learning experience a huge boost.
The session then broke for high tea after which Prof. Hanumantha Rao, also an eminent economist delivered a stimulating lecture on the evolution of planning in socialist economies and the planning model adopted in India. He further said that inclusive growth is the economic mantra these days and polarizing economic beliefs will not help the economy. Thereafter, Prof. R Radhakrishna (CESS) also the former Chairman of the National Statistical Commission made an invigorating presentation on growth and inequalities trends in India that drew tremendous crowd response judging by the very vibrant interaction session.
More than 35 papers are being presented by research scholars from all over India in this three-day conference.