An economics class by FM Sitharaman for students at IEG

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 policy maker and 15th Finance Commission chairman N K Singh, a 1960 economics honours pass out from St Stephen's college and a 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 inauguration of the renovated Ramakrishna Hall of the institute.