The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Lucknow on Thursday organised a symposium on “Contemporary Narratives on Indian Economic Thoughts” at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), here. As a co-host of all the G20 Finance Track Meetings, the Reserve Bank of India is participating in the two-day 4th Sustainable Finance Working Group meeting in Varanasi which concluded on Thursday.
The symposium was organised in the backdrop of India’s G20 Presidency, celebrating the nation’s rich cultural heritage while fostering intellectual discourse on economic insights that transcend borders. It underscored the ancient Indian story of economic and fiscal policy, governance, public policy, and Indian Jurisprudence.
Dr Balu Kenchappa, Regional Director, RBI, Lucknow welcomed all the participants.
The keynote speaker Dr HR Nagendra, Chancellor, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) University, Bengaluru exhorted as to how the ancient Indian economic ideas have been providing a deeper insight into India’s culture, tradition, and inherent national characteristics.
He emphasised how the synergy of politics, ethics, and economics with the Vedas, Arthasastra, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Manusmriti, Sukraniti, and several other ancient Indian texts, have skilfully and holistically contributed to the nation’s growth and wellbeing.
Dr Ashutosh Yashwant Raravikar, Director, Department of Economic Policy and Research, RBI, Mumbai traversed through the history of RBI and its path to prosperity. Dr Manjusha Pandharinath Kulkarni, Administrative officer, Deputy Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Maharashtra gave anecdotal insights concerning the originality of Kautilya’s Arthashastra and expressed her views on the contemporary relevance of its principles.
The panel discussion on the theme of “Dilemmas in Balancing Gross Domestic Product and Gross National Happiness- Learnings from Ancient Texts” featuring distinguished academicians including Prof MK Agrawal, Head, Department of Economics, University of Lucknow; Prof Sudhakar Mishra, Department of Vedanta, Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi; and Prof Mrutyunjaya Mishra, Head, Department of Economics, Banaras Hindu University, kept the audience enthralled. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr Balu Kenchappa, Regional Director, Lucknow.
The panelists gave a valuable insight into the important learnings from several ancient texts, specially Kautilya’s Arthashastra, which vividly describes and chronicles the historical relevance of the administrative procedures, the duties of kings, ministers, and government officers, covering almost every aspect of economics pertinent to a welfare state even today, is invaluable, thereby aiding in balancing economic growth and overall wellbeing.
Around 250 students and teachers participated in the programme.