Veteran economist and founding Chairman of the Madras School of Economics, Raja Jesudoss Chelliah passed away at a private hospital in Chennai on Tuesday (7th April) afternoon following a brief illness. He was 86 and is survived by his wife and two daughters. Raja Chelliah was the foremost public finance expert in the country. He was also instrumental in bringing initial reforms to the direct taxation structure.

 

Born on December 12, 1922, Chelliah obtained his PhD in Economics from the University of Pittsburg in the USA after completing M.A. degree from University of Madras. Initially he worked as a professor in various national and international universities. He joined the International Monetary Fund in 1969 as the chief of Fiscal Analysis Division. In 1982 he was appointed as member of the Economic Administration Reforms Commission.

 

In 1985, Prof. Chelliah became a member of the Union Planning Commission. He was appointed chairman of the Tax Reforms Committee in August 1991, when Dr. Manmohan Singh was Finance Minister. Between 1993 and 1995, he was also the Fiscal Adviser in the Union Finance Ministry. An author of nearly 15 books and various research papers he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2007.