For economics students at IEG, a class by Sitharaman

The Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), founded by the grand old man of Indian economics V K R V Rao in 1952, normally a place for senior researchers and a training ground for the government's economic bureaucracy became a unique evening classroom for students just beginning their training in the subject of economics.

- Roshan Kishore

NEW DELHI: The students were a large bunch of BA first-year students from various Delhi University (DU) colleges and a handful of MA students from Delhi School of Economics (DSE), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and DU's management school.

The teacher was none other than India's current and longest-serving finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who finished her BA in economics from Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College, Tiruchirapalli, in 1980 and went on to do an MA and MPhil in economics from JNU.

Moderating the discussion between Sitharaman and the students was veteran policymaker and 15th Finance Commission chairman N K Singh, a 1960 economics honours pass out from St Stephen's college and an MA from Delhi School of Economics's class of 1962. Singh, who is also the President of IEG, was hosting Sitharaman on the occasion of the inauguration of the renovated Ramakrishna Hall of the institute.

The broad theme of the interaction was Security and Development, perhaps taking a cue from Operation Sindoor. While welcoming Sitharaman to IEG, Singh expressed gratitude on behalf of the institute for the minister's presence as well as the finance ministry's partnership with IEG for various things, including training of Indian Economic Service officers.