K. N. Raj Biography 
K. N. Raj was a leading Indian economist in the post-independent era who lived during the period 13 May 1924 – 10 February 2010. His full name is Kakkadan Nandanath Raj, and he hailed from Thrissur, Kerala. He was awarded the second highest civilian honour Padma Vibhushan in 2000 for his contributions towards Literature & Education. He lived during 13 May 1924 – 10 February 2010, and died at Thiruvananthapuram aged 85. His role in planning and drafting India's first Five Year Plan is remembered most. He was only 26 years old then. He served as the economic adviser to Prime Ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to P.V. Narasimha Rao.
Kakkadan Nandanath Raj was born in Thrissur, then a part of British India in the year 1924. His graduation was completed from Madras Christian College. While at college he was a disciple of the famous economist Malcolm Adiseshiah. It was because of the encouragement of his professor, he decided to go higher education. He studied at the most prestigious London School of Economics, and did the thesis work on monetary policy of India's central bank. He was opposed to the economic liberalization in India.
After studies he joined Delhi University as Professor of Economics and Vice-Chancellor. He worked long 18 years with Delhi University, and during that time, he was instrumental in setting up the Delhi School of Economics. He returned to Kerala in 1971 and set up the Centre for Development Studies at Thiruvananthapuram. Throughout his life he stood for the welfare of common man. He passed away on 10 February 2010 at Thiruvananthapuram aged 85. For his contributions towards Literature & Education, he was honoured with Padma Vibhushan in 2000. He was a widely respected development economist and teacher and one of the architects of the Indian Plan edifice.
Published: September 08, 2018
Updated: September 08, 2018
