Renowned economist and former union minister, Yoginder K Alagh passed away on Tuesday at the age of 83. He served as the Professor Emeritus at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Patel Institute of Economics and Social Research.

Alagh was born in Chakwal, in present day Pakistan in 1939 and studied at the University of Rajasthan. He went on to complete his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania. He also taught at prestigious institutes such as IIM-Calcutta, while serving as the Vice Chancellor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.

The noted economist also served as the Chairman for the Institute of Rural Management in Anand, Gujarat, apart from being the minister of state for planning and programme implementation between 1996 and 1998. His career also involved a stint as a Rajya Sabha member and a member of the planning commission.