Prof. Binayak Rath
Utkal University, India

Biography:

Prof. (Dr) Binayak Rath, after completing his tenure as the Vice Chancellor of the Utkal University, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha (from April,2008 to May 2011), had joined back his parent position as Professor of Economics in the Department of HSS & EEMP at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. After his superannuation from IIT Kanpur in June 2012, he had joined NISER, Bhubaneswar as Visiting Professor in Economics and presently teaching in IIT Bhubaneswar as an Adjunct Professor. Dr Rath had received his Honours and PG degree in Economics from the Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and the Ph.D. degree in Economics from IIT Kanpur in 1980 in the area of Social Benefit-Cost Analysis. Prior to joining the faculty of IIT Kanpur in 1980, he had taught in the Dhenkanal college (1971-1975) and the Ravenshaw college (1980) under Odisha Education Service. In 1985-86, he had joined the faculty of the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow and later he taught there as a visiting Professor for three years (1993-1996). 
The teaching and research interests of Dr Rath in the area of Economics include Benefit-Cost Analysis, Environmental Management including Environmental Impact Assessment, Water Resource Management, Development Economics , Rehabilitation & Resettlement, and Economics of Alternative Energy. He is regularly invited by academic / research institutions in India and abroad as well as by industries to deliver invited lectures/ keynote / Convocation addresses in his area of research. The foreign countries visited by him to participate in these academic pursuits include Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Hongkong,  Ireland, Nepal , Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Srilanka, Thailand, the Netherlands, the Peoples Republic of China,  & the USA. As Vice Chancellor of one of the largest and oldest University, viz., Utkal University, Odisha he had not only initiated a number of academic reforms to improve the teaching, research and examinations systems for the benefit of the students and researchers, but also had undertaken many innovative steps to rejuvenate the NSS activities in the affiliated colleges. Further, he had undertaken many new steps to improve the physical infrastructure facilities within Vani Vihar and to make it a clean and green campus with the participation of all stakeholders. Some new teaching programmes were introduced by him on a PPP mode in the emerging areas of knowledge. In July- August 2010, he visited a number of Universities and academic institutions in the USA as a member of the Delegation on Higher Education, Government of Odisha to explore Indo-US academic collaborations. In March, 2009 he visited a number of reputed academic institutions in China as member of 6th Indian Mission to explore Indo-Chine academic and cultural exchanges. In February- March, 2011 he was invited to visit the University of Saskachewan and the University of Guelph, Canada to deliver special talks and to explore academic collaboration with those universities. In 2006, he was invited by Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands as a Keynote Speaker in the “International Colloquium on Partnerships for Sustainable Development” where he had delivered lecture on “Challenges and Opportunities in Promoting Public-Private Partnership for Sustainable Development of Water Resources in India”.
In terms of his contribution to industry-academia collaboration, he has had been actively involved in conducting a number of research projects sponsored by organizations like NTPC, SAIL, NABARD, CBIP,MHRD, the PICUP, Government of Uttar Pradesh as well as Government of Odisha. Particularly, he has been engaged in a number of projects of the NTPC in identifying suitable R & R schemes by undertaking retrofit SES and NAS studies and to suggest viable remedial action plans (RAPs) for the PAPs due to land acquisition. Presently, he is working on environmental issues dealing with land and water management in rural and urban areas as well as in evaluation of the effectiveness of the women self-help groups and participatory irrigation management in typical regions of the country. He was a member of the Task Force for “No Industries Districts” for Raibareli and Jalon districts. He is also deeply involved with many social and voluntary activities in different capacities and working for the up-liftment of the down-trodden sections of our society. For instance, as Chairman of the Odisha Cyclone Relief Committee of IIT Kanpur, he had successfully coordinated the direct relief, R&R in the worst cyclone affected of Odisha in 1999-2001 with the help of faculty and students.  
To his credit, he has published a book on "Employment Multiplier Linkages of the Steel Industry in India", and authored more than twenty monograms, of which the important ones are “R&R  in India: Approaches, Policies and RAP”, “Management of Water Resource Projects in India”, “Impact Evaluation Study of “BKVY and PP in KBK Districts”,  and “Estimation of Chief Drivers of SDP of Uttar Pradesh”. To add to it, he has authored more than 150 papers, which are published in different national / international journals, books, conference proceedings of conferences and workshops. For last few years, he has been deeply involved in undertaking post-evaluation studies of a number of mining projects, particularly, in assessing their impact on the socio-economic environment including R&R aspects. As a member of the “Expert Appraisal Committee for EIA of Mining Projects” of the MOEF , he had contributed to add many new dimensions in undertaking the EIA and EMP  studies including the NAS studies. As a member of the Citizens’ Monitoring Committee of Ganga Pollution Control Board (GAP), Kanpur he had helped KMNN and KDA to execute various environmental preventive measures to save Ganges from further pollution. He was the President of the Orissa Economic Association for the year 1998-99. As the Convener of the 12th International Planning History Conference (IPHS-2006), he had successfully organized this international event at New Delhi during  2006.  He was also a member of various academic bodies of institutions like IIT Bhubaneswar;  NISER, Bhubaneswar; ILS, Bhubaneswar; SOA University, Bhubaneswar; MNNIT, Allahabad; NEHU, Shillong; NIT, Kurukshetra; and Allahabad University and helped those institution in developing their academic and research activities.
Among his administrative stint at the IIT,Kanpur, he was a member of Board of Governors for two terms, member of the Finance Committee of the IIT, Kanpur for the period 2002-2005, Chairman of the Senate Post Graduate Committee, 2001-2003; Chairman, Council of Wardens; Chairman, Commercial Establishment Management & Monitoring Committee; Chairman, Minimum Wage Monitoring Committee, and Convener of different Committees at the Department level.