Respected Governor, Honourable Prof. Abhijit Banerjee, distinguished guests, my colleagues from Reserve Bank, ladies and gentlemen

2. On behalf of the Reserve Bank of India and also College of Agricultural Banking, Pune, I sincerely thank Prof. Abhijit Banerjee for having accepted our invitation to deliver the first Suresh Tendulkar Memorial Oration here today.

3. The Memorial Orations series in Reserve Bank have been a platform for all of us to share knowledge from academicians and policy makers of international repute on issues of contemporary relevance. We are fortunate to have Prof. Banerjee to deliver the lecture on the theme: “Identifying the Poor”. It is surely most thematic and appropriate in the context of a tribute to late Prof. Suresh Tendulkar who had done some remarkable work in the field of development economics.

4. In his Oration today, Prof. Banerjee has argued, very clearly and persuasively, the need for identifying the poor. His talk showed his clarity of thought that allowed him to cut through complex evidence, identify the priority issues, weigh them up quickly, work out appropriate advice and reach clear and definite conclusions. It also reflected the solid body of related research that Prof. Banerjee has behind him.

5. These issues are extremely relevant for public policy institutions like the Reserve Bank. We are thankful to Prof. Banerjee for addressing them and sensitizing us so effectively in his Oration today. While dealing with such a core and urgent issue like poverty, it is of course imperative that we focus on and change our mindset and delivery systems too.

6. We are also grateful to Smt. Tendulkar and other family members of late Prof. Tendulkar for gracing the occasion.

7. The successful conduct of this programme owes much to the guidance and keen interest of our honourable Governor, Dr. D. Subbarao, and I thank him for the same.

8. I also thank all the distinguished invitees present here for attending this Oration in large numbers. I thank my colleagues from the Human Resource Management Department, Central Office and College of Agricultural Banking in Pune for their excellent efforts in putting together this event and making it such a success.

9. I thank all the service providers here for their cooperation and support. Thanks are also due to Liaison Officers at this College for looking after all of us so well.

Once again, Thank you all