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Professor Chennamaneni Hanumantha Rao is currently Chairman, Board of Governors, Institute of Economic Growth, University of Delhi and Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad. He is also Member, National Adivsory council, Government of India. Born in 1929 in Karimnagar, Andhra Pradesh, he did his graduation from Nizam College, Hyderabad. As an activist of the All Jyderabad Students Union, he participated actively in the freedom struggle. He did his M.A. in Economics from Osmania University, Jyderabad (1957) and his Ph.D. from University of Delhi (1962). He was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Chicago during 1966-67. He was a Fellow at the Institute of Economic Growth, University of Delhi (1961-92) and also its Director (1976-80). In addition to a distinguished academic career, Professor Rao has been at the forefront of several high-level policy making bodies under Government of India. He was Member, Planning Commission (1982-86); Member, Seventh and Eighth Finance Commissions; Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (1983-85); Chairman, ational Commission on Rural Labuor (1990-91); Chairman, Technical Adivsory Committee on DPA and DDP, Ministry of Rural Development (1993-97); Chairman, HIgh Powered Fertilisers Pricing Policy Review Committee (1997-98); and Member, Board of Directors, Reserve Bank of India (1994-2000). His publications include "Technological change and Distribution of Gains in Indian Agriculture" (Macmillan, 1975); "Agricultural Growth, Rural Poverty and Environmental Degradation in India" (OUP, 1994); "Andhra Pradesh Development: Economic Reforms and Challenges Ahead" (edited with S. Mahendra Dev, CESS, 2003) and over 100 research papers in academic journals. Professor Rao has received many awards during his illustrious career. The awards/honours include Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Memorial prize (1974-75), Sri Kambhampati Satyanarayana (Senior) Memorial Award (1998), K.H. Batheja Award (1994), Financial Express Award (1955), Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Philosophy from Srikrishna Devaraya University, anathapur (1991) and the Kakatiya University, Warangal (1998), in Andhra Pradehs; and Sri Ravi Narayan Reddy Memorial Award (1994), and Telgu Atma Gaurava Puraskaram (2000). He has been awarded 'Padma Bhushan' by the President of India in 2004.

S. Mahendra Dev is presently the director of Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Hyderabad. He did his Ph.D. from the Delhi School of Economics and his Post-doctoral research at the Economic Growth Centre, Yale University and was faculty member at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai for 11 years. He was Senior Fellow at Rajiv Gandhi Foundation during 1996-97 and Visiting Professor at University of Bonn, Germany in 1999. He has written extensively on agricultural development, poverty and public policy, food security, employment guarantee schemes, social security, farm and non-farm employment. He has more than 70 research publications in national and international journals. He has been a consultant and advisor to many international organisations like the UNDP, UNICEF, World Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute and ESCAP. He has been a member of several government Committees including Prime Minister's Task force on Employment.