Narendra Damodar Jadhav (born 28 May 1953) is an Indian economist, educationist, public policy expert, professor and writer in English, Marathi and Hindi. He is an expert on Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Jadhav has been a Member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian Parliament. He previously served as member of the Planning Commission of India and the National Advisory Council. Prior to this, he worked as Vice Chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and headed economic research at the Reserve Bank of India.
Early life and education
Narendra Damodar Jadhav was born on 28 May 1953 to a Mahar family from the village of Ozar (Nashik District) and grew up in Mumbai suburb of Wadala. In 1956, his family converted to Buddhism. He attended Chhabildas High School, Dadar. He completed his BSc in Statistics from Ramnarain Ruia College, University of Mumbai in 1973 and MA in Economics from the University of Mumbai in 1975. He later earned a PhD in Economics from Indiana University, USA in 1986.
Professional career
Economist
As a career economist, Jadhav worked for 31 years with the Reserve Bank of India, and those of Afghanistan and Ethiopia. He also worked as Adviser in the International Monetary Fund for over four years. He retired in October 2008 from the position of Principal Adviser and Chief Economist of the RBI. His writings on economics include: Ambedkar – An Economist Extraordinaire (2016), Monetary Policy, Financial Stability and Central Banking in India (2006), Re-emerging India – A Global Perspective (2005) and Monetary Economics for India (1994).
Education
In 2006, Jadhav was appointed Vice Chancellor of the University of Pune.
Planning Commission
As a Member of the Planning Commission, Jadhav had a role in formulating the 12th Five Year Plan, especially in respect of Education and Skill Development. His contribution to formulation of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme and developing the eco-system for Skills Development in India has been recognised. Equally noteworthy is his contribution to social justice through the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP), Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) and Assessment and Monitoring Authority (AMA) for socio-religious communities.
National Advisory Council
As a Member of the National Advisory Council (NAC) Jadhav's notable contributions include formulation of National Food Security Bill, implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009, and empowerment of SC, ST, Minorities and Denotified Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) through education, SC & ST Prevention of Atrocities, Rights of persons with Disabilities, Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) and Abolition of Manual Scavenging.
Member of Parliament
In 2022, Jadhav completed his first term as an independent Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha.
Writings
Jadhav, has written or edited 41 books in three languages – 21 in English, 13 in Marathi, and 7 in Hindi, besides over 300 research papers and articles. These include 21 books on Babasaheb Ambedkar and a trilogy on Rabindranath Tagore, comprising an analytical biography, and translation of selected poems, short stories, plays, parodies, articles and speeches.