Vijay Kelkar felicitated with Punyabhushan Award
PUNE: Distinguished economist and well-known figure in India's economic policy reforms, Vijay Kelkar, on Monday was felicitated with the Punyabhushan Award for his exceptional contributions to the field of economics. The awards ceremony was held in Pune wherein union minister Nitin Gadkari conferred the prestigious award on Kelkar. Kelkar's name had been finalised for the award by the selection committee chaired by renowned scientist Raghunath Mashelkar. Alongside Kelkar, the Pune-based Punyabhushan Foundation also honoured four soldiers who sustained injuries while on duty and the mother of a war martyr for the sacrifices made by these brave hearts for their country. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Padma Vibhushan professor MM Sharma felicitated economist Vijay Kelkar (centre) with the Punyabhushan Award 2025 in Pune on Monday. (HT)
Gadkari expressed deep respect for Mashelkar and said that he was truly pleased to see Kelkar receive the award. 'Sometimes, a person adds prestige to an award and today, both the receiver and the award have made each other more prestigious,' Gadkari said.
Referring to Kelkar's contributions to the goods and services tax (GST) policy, Gadkari praised Kelkar's role in shaping an economic system that has curbed tax evasion and boosted government revenue. 'GST has brought discipline into the system, reduced black money, and today, it has become a model followed across the world,' Gadkari said, adding that the Indian economy has greatly benefited from such structural changes and that Kelkar deserves all the credit for the same.
Gadkari did not hesitate to criticise outdated economic ideologies. 'Thoughts like socialism, communism, and capitalism have become obsolete. Old decisions taken by political parties now need to be revised but no one is ready to take that bold step and we also don't have a system where people who made wrong decisions during their time in government confess or admit that their decisions were wrong' Gadkari said.
'There is no shortage of funds today and investment in capital markets is high but the system does not move at the speed it should. When we propose innovative ideas, the default response from officers is, 'It is not possible' that often blocks development,' Gadkari said.
'If we want to uplift the poor, we must be ready to break the laws even 10 times. We did just that while implementing the e-cycle scheme and eradicated cycle rickshaw,' he said.
The union minister stated that the automobile industry is a key factor in the Indian economy and announced that within the next seven years, India will become the world's leading automobile manufacturing hub.
Concluding his speech, Gadkari said that the welfare of the poor, economic prosperity, and progressive policy reforms can only be achieved through the knowledge, efforts and minds of people like Kelkar.
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