Ambedkar: Current relevance of economic thoughts

DR. Ambedkar was among the outstanding intellectuals of India in the 20th century who is rightly famous for being the architect of India's Constitution and a redoubtable champion of the interests of the Scheduled Castes but his economic thoughts are not so well known which are found spotted in several writings. The domain of the present paper is to bring into public eye and connect those dotted thoughts, many of which are still relevant in this era of global crisis. After highlighting the multifaceted personality of Dr. Ambedkar, the remaining is the modest attempt to elaborate his views on different sub disciplines of economics like monetary economics, public finance, agriculture and land holdings etc. Economic explanation of caste system in India and their ramifications for Indian economy particularly for current objective of inclusive growth are also dealt with. A final section deals with various strategies suggested by him for development of Indian economy and coming out with prospective suggestion flowing out of the knowledge stream of Dr. Ambedkar. It is a humble attempt to acknowledgment the due attention and recognition that Ambedkar's economic thoughts deserve.