HISTORY

The Department of Economics is one of the original departments of Gauhati University which was established in 1948. Initially, classes were held in the Earle Law College at Panbazar. The Department shifted to the present building (Arts Block) in Gopinath Bordoloi Nagar in 1952. Earlier on, the department offered M.A. course in Economics in combination with Political Science. But the Political Science component was given up in 1960 as a separate department was started for the subject.

Teaching was started in the Department with an intake of less than 50 students in the Post Graduate classes. The intake had to be raised up to 108 in response to growing demand for post graduate education in Economics in the state and the region. However, the intake had to be pegged back at 65 in 2001 as the Department adopted the semester system for its M.A./M.Sc. programmes. The University made provision under its distance education programme to meet the excess demand for post graduate learning in Economics.

The Department started functioning with only five teachers. The founder teachers were Dr. P.C. Thomas (Head of the Department), Professor S. Sarangapani, Shri K. Krishnamurty and Dr. V. Venkata Rao (who later joined the bifurcated Political Science Department). Professor Mehrotra of Commerce Department reinforced the department as a part time teacher. Subsequently, Dr. U.N. Bordoloi, Shri Dhirendra Nath Sarma, Shri Jyotish Gogoi, Dr. K. Alam, Dr. Atul Goswami, Dr. B. P. Misra, Dr. R. K. Chaudhury and Dr. Biman Kar joined in and served the Department.

Right from the beginning the teachers of the Department were associated with various assignments. Professor P.C. Thomas served as educational advisor of UNESCO in Nepal for a year, as did Professor Sarangapani who went abroad on an UN assignment for a year. Teachers of the Department have also extended their services to the Government in various capacities in the State Planning Board, State Level Advisory Committee of 20-Point Programme, High Level Committee for Farming, Formulation of Long Term Plan for Assam's Economic Development, Committee to Enquire Into The Economic Significance of The First Brahmaputra Bridge, different Pay Commissions, Gauhati Municipal Corporation, and State Level Advisory Committee on Small Savings.