04-07-2025
Who is GIPE's new V-C Umakant Dash?
Umakant Dash, the new Vice Chancellor of the Pune-based Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) is an economist with extensive research and teaching experience. His work about universal healthcare as well as evaluation of healthcare facilities present have seen him deal with issues like poverty, policy and interventions to tackle the same.
Appointed as the director of Institute of Rural Management (IRMA) based in Gujarat's Anand in 2021, Dash has a PhD in Applied Economics from IIT Kanpur. He completed his graduation from BJB College in Bhubaneshwar in Economics and Mathematics. Dash also has a DHS from Tualane University in USA.
Before he was appointed as the director of IRMA, Dash worked as the professor at the department of Humanities and Social Sciences in IIT Madras, Chennai. He has also worked in institutes like Utara University of Malayasia, IIT Madras, Chennai, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani and Xavier Labour Relations Institute Jameshdpur. A career academician, Dash has guided many PhD scholars in institutions.
During his tenure in IIT and BITS Pilani, Dash worked extensively on topics like Macro Economics, Finanacial Economics and Health Economics as well as Derivate Markets and Health Management. Dash also worked as consultant to WHO India, Access Health International and Department of Public Health Government of Tamil Nadu, to name a few. As an economist, Dash has led investigations that studied the effect of health care among the poor as well as health care among the ageing in India. He has authored and co-authored articles about health and health care in numerous national and international journals of repute.
Dash's work about poverty reduction and development benefits of 'within country migration' was published by the EPPI Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University College of London. His work about public health systems in Tamil Nadu have been citied in several journals too.
