Lai Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Government of India, Mus-soorie. India. Sustainable Development Foundation, New Delhi, India; and The South-North Centre for International Policy Studies. School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, London. U.K. AMITAVA MUKHERJEE after a distinguished academic career, obtained his first class B.A. (Honours) degree (1972) and his first class Masters Degree (1976) in Economics, from Ranchi University. He secured his Master's Degree in Administrative Science and Managerial Economics from the William Mars Rice University, Houston (1978); studied Comparative Economic and Political Systems at Washington and obtained his Ph.D. degree for his treatise on the ‘Behaviour of Firms', (1983); carried out his post-doctorate research at Rice (1985) and at the University of South Florida, Tampa (1987). He held a joint Visiting Appointment at the Department of Economics and the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford. USA (1991). He was a visiting Academician to the University of London (1992). Dr. Mukherjee has numerous papers and seventeen books to his credit. His contribution to decentralised planning is internationally recognised. He is recepient of many awards and honours, including Bihar Governor's Cup for the Best Scholar of the Year (1971), Vivekananda Centenary Endowment Gold Medal (1972), Hem Nalini De Memorial Gold Medal (1973), Rotary Foundation International Fellowship (1977-78), Brown Research Study Grant (1985) and Commonwealth Fellowship (1993), which enabled him to travel, study and research almost worldwide He is a life member of the Indian Econometric Society and of the Regional Science Association, a member of the Indian Economic Association, and of the Royal Economic Society, England. Dr. Mukherjee is currently Professor of Economics and Planning and Faculty Coordinator, Academy of Administration. Mussoorie, prior to which he was advisor and Project Head of the Planning Commission Project on decentralised planning at the Lai Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. He is the National Project Co-ordinator for the Project of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Rome. V.K. AONIHOTRI is an IAS Officer of the 1968 batch belonging to Andhra Pradesh Cadre. Born on 25th, August, 1945, he obtained his Masters degrees in English Literature and Political Science from the University of Allahabad, Allahabad. Before joining the IAS, he served on the Faculty of the Department of English, in the University of Allahabad. He has held several positions with the State and the Central Governments and his last substantive assignment being Development Commissioner for Handlooms in the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, prior to his joining the Lai Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, as its Joint Director. He has been a visiting fellow to the Queen Elizabeth House. University of Oxford, Oxford in 1991-92. He has extensive experience in development administration. His current area of research is public policy analysis.
