Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated a three-day conference on 20th Oct 2024 at the Centre celebrating the centenary of our founding father, Prof. K N Raj.
In his inaugural address, chief minister highlighted Raj’s contributions as an academic and institution builder. “Under professor Raj’s leadership, CDS conducted pioneering research on Kerala’s development experience, culminating in the renowned CDS-UN study of 1975,” said chief minister.
CM added that on Raj’s 100th anniversary, he prefers to remember him as the great son of Kerala who could broadly state his position on issues he thought as pertinent to the society.
“He believed in excellence of teaching within the classroom, but he also widened the frontiers of teaching and research to inventions in the field of citizen rights and challenged the conformist rule of the grammar of relations between people, civil society and the state. I salute the multifaceted personality who chose to come to his native state and contributed substantially to higher learning in the state,” added CM.
CM called for CDS to observe February 10 as Development Researchers Day by organising seminars with the participation of experienced and young scholars. He also extended an invitation to the academic community from the country and abroad to Kerala. The chief minister also released a souvenir commemorating Raj’s contributions to Indian economic development.
The inaugural session chaired by Prof. Sudipto Mundle, Chairman of CDS and Prof. C. Veeramani, RBI Chair and director of CDS, gave the welcome address. The following were also spook at the session: Prof. V. K. Ramachandran, Vice Chairman of the Kerala State Planning Board; Prof. Ram Singh, Director, DSE, GB member of CDS representing ICSSR, Government of India; Prof. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University; Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac, a distinguished CDS alumnus and former Finance Minister of Kerala; and Shri K. M. Chandrasekhar IAS (Retd.), former Cabinet Secretary to the Government of India and former Chairman of CDS. Prof. Beena P L, convener of the conference organising committee delivered the vote of thanks.
