Date:09/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/09/stories/2008080953770400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Deshpande is ISEC Director

Special Correspondent

R.S. Deshpande

BANGALORE: R.S. Deshpande, economist, has been appointed Director of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore.

Governor Rameshwar Thakur, who is the president of ISEC Society, appointed Prof. Deshpande, Head, Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre of ISEC, to the post for a five-year term, Raj Bhavan sources said on Friday.

Prof. Deshpande, who is 58, specialises in agricultural development policy, international trade in agriculture and WTO, agriculture production and resource economics, watershed management and irrigation, econometrics and applied statistic.

Prof. Deshpande, who authored several books, obtained doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in Economics from Marathawada University, Aurangabad.

He helped the State government to bring out the Agricultural Policy of 2006 during the Kumaraswamy government.

He served as Registrar and Reader of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (deemed university), Pune. Under his guidance, the Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre of ISEC completed more than 50 research projects during the last few years.

He served as vice-chairman, WTO Cell, Karnataka; convener, Expert Group for Preparing Manual for Comprehensive District Agricultural Plan, Planning Commission, and vice-president, Indian Society of Labour Economics, New Delhi.

Prof. Deshpande is member of several committees and academic boards formed by the State and Union governments.