Professor S. Mahendra Dev is an eminent Indian economist and policy expert, currently serving as the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), a non-constitutional, non-statutory, and independent body that advises the Prime Minister on economic matters. This role is a high-level institution/provision for economic policy advice. He was appointed to this position, succeeding Bibek Debroy, with reports suggesting the appointment around June 2025.
His career history demonstrates a focus on development economics and public policy, having earned his PhD from the Delhi School of Economics and completed post-doctoral research at Yale University. Prior to his current role, he was the Director and Vice Chancellor of the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) in Mumbai from 2010 to 2022. He also served as the Chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), Ministry of Agriculture, from 2008 to 2010, holding the rank of Secretary to the Government of India.
His work centers on the mechanism of achieving inclusive growth in India, with a focus on agricultural development, poverty reduction, food security, and inequality. He has written extensively on the need for structural transformation from agriculture to industry and services to improve employment quality and reduce inequalities in health and education. He connects to other major policy concepts, having been a member of the Expert Group on Poverty chaired by Dr. C. Rangarajan and the Committee on Financial Inclusion. The most recent change is his appointment as the EAC-PM Chairman, which places him at the forefront of providing independent economic analysis and policy recommendations to the government.