Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee joins Telangana Vision Board
Hyderabad:
Nobel laureate
Professor
Abhijit Banerjee
has joined the TelanganaRising Vision Board as an advisor, offering his expertise to shape the state's long-term development agenda.
During his meeting with chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday at the Integrated Command and Control Centre, Prof Banerjee shared his vision on
inclusive economic growth
, job creation, urban innovation, and skilling—core components of Telangana's future roadmap.
In a wide-ranging dialogue, the two leaders discussed transformative ideas for boosting public revenue, empowering traditional artisans through modern tools, and positioning Hyderabad as a global services and innovation hub.
Prof Banerjee, currently the Ford Foundation international professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (
MIT
), is a globally renowned economist and co-founder of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), an MIT-based research centre dedicated to reducing global poverty through scientific evidence and policy impact.
In 2019, he was awarded the Nobel prize in economic sciences along with his wife Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for their experimental approach to alleviating poverty.
Promoting traditional skills
During the discussion, Prof Banerjee emphasised the importance of creating short-term, skill-based programmes that combine traditional knowledge with contemporary design sensibilities, digital marketing, and social media outreach.
He also suggested that Telangana should integrate arts, crafts, and cultural creativity into the planning of the Bharat Future City, giving it a distinctive identity rooted in both innovation and heritage.
According to the chief minister's office, Prof Banerjee appreciated the state govt's inclusive policies, notably the recruitment of transgender individuals into the traffic police and municipal workforce—a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.
He also welcomed the CM's vision for reimagining Hyderabad's core urban zone within the Outer Ring Road as a services-driven economic corridor, supported by dedicated skills and sports universities that would build capacity for a future-ready workforce.
The CM, on the other hand, detailed the Congress govt's focused efforts to empower women's self-help groups, farmers, and the youth through a combination of welfare, credit, and enterprise support.
The CM underscored the govt's goal of inclusive economic expansion, where social equity and global ambition go hand in hand—a vision Prof Banerjee is expected to contribute to through his advisory role on the Vision Board.
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