Economist Gupta cremated with state honour

PATNA: Shaibal Gupta, director of the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) and advisor to Bihar chief minister who died here at a hospital last night, was cremated with full state honours at Gulbi Ghat on the banks of Ganga. Shaibal (67) enjoyed the cabinet minister rank protocol as advisor to the chief minister and was a member of the Raghuram Rajan (former Governor of RBI) committee set up by the UPA-II govt to examine the demand of Bihar for special status. He had put a note of dissent in his report as two other members were against grant of special status. Shaibal, who started his academic career as a research associate at AN Sinha Institute of Social Sciences, was suffering from cancer. His institute was visited by the then President Pranab Mukherjee, Governors and CMs of several states and Nobel laureates Amartya Sen, Joseph E Stiglitiz and Londonbased economist Lord Meghnad Desai.