C. Rangarajan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids C. Rangarajan
Chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council
In office August 2009 – 16 May 2014
Succeeded by	Bibek Debroy
In office 2005 – 2008
Preceded by	Suresh Tendulkar
Member of Rajya Sabha
In office August 2008 – August 2009
Chairman of the Twelfth Finance Commission of India
In office 2003–2004
Preceded by	A. M. Khusro
Succeeded by	Vijay Kelkar
16th Governor of Andhra Pradesh
In office 24 November 1997 – 3 January 2003
Preceded by	Krishan Kant
Succeeded by	Surjit Singh Barnala
19th Governor of Reserve Bank of India
In office 22 December 1992 – 21 November 1997
Preceded by	S. Venkitaramanan
Succeeded by	Bimal Jalan
Member of Planning Commission of Government of India
In office 21 August 1991 – 21 December 1992
Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India
In office 12 February 1982 – 20 August 1991
Governor	Manmohan Singh Amitav Ghosh (banker) R.N. Malhotra S. Venkitaramanan
Personal details
Political party	Independent
Alma mater	National College, Trichy University of Madras (B.A.) University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D.)
Profession	Economist Civil servant
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Chakravarthi Rangarajan (born in 1932) is a very important economist from India. He has held many key positions in the Indian government and financial system. He was the 19th governor of the Reserve Bank of India, which is like India's central bank.

He also served as the chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council. This council gives advice to the Prime Minister on how the country's economy is doing. He is currently the chairman of the Madras School of Economics.

Early Life and Education

Rangarajan grew up in Vaduvur, a small village near Thanjavur. He studied at National College in Tiruchirappalli from 1947 to 1949. Later, he went to Loyola College at the University of Madras. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree there.

He then traveled to the United States to continue his studies. In 1964, he received his PhD in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

A Career in Economics

Dr. Rangarajan has taught economics at several famous institutions. These include the University of Pennsylvania and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A). He was a well-known teacher at IIM-A for students studying business and economics. He even wrote a textbook on macroeconomics that was used in business schools.

In 1997, IIM-A honored him by making him an Honorary Fellow.

Leading the Reserve Bank

Dr. Rangarajan played a big role at the Reserve Bank of India. He served as a Deputy Governor from 1982 to 1991. After that, he became the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. He held this top position from December 1992 to November 1997.

Serving as a Governor

After his time at the Reserve Bank, he became the governor of Andhra Pradesh. He served in this role from November 1997 to January 2003. During this time, he also took on extra duties. He was the governor of Odisha from 1998 to 1999. He also served as the governor of Tamil Nadu from 2001 to 2002.

After leaving the governor's office, he became the chairman of the Twelfth Finance Commission. This commission helps decide how money is shared between the central government and states.

Important Awards and Recognition

In 2002, the Government of India gave him a very high honor. He received the Padma Vibhushan, which is India's second-highest civilian award. This award recognizes his outstanding contributions to the country.

He also received the Rajiv Gandhi Outstanding Leadership National Award in 2008. This award recognized his excellent leadership.

Advising the Prime Minister

From 2005 to 2008, Dr. Rangarajan was the chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council. He advised the Prime Minister on important economic matters.

In August 2008, he became a member of the Rajya Sabha, which is one of the two houses of the Indian Parliament. He resigned from Parliament in August 2009. He then returned to lead the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council again. He continued in this role until May 2014. He resigned when the government changed after elections.

Since then, he has been the chairman of the Madras School of Economics. He continues to write and publish his thoughts on economic issues.

Helping During the Pandemic

In May 2020, the government of Tamil Nadu formed a special committee. Dr. Rangarajan was chosen to lead this high-level committee. Its job was to advise the government on how to help the economy recover after the COVID-19 lockdown.

The committee gave its report in September 2020. It suggested ideas like a program to guarantee jobs in cities. The report also expressed hope that the economy would bounce back quickly.