Utpal Kumar De is currently a Professor of Economics and Head of the Department of Economics at the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India. Prof. De has been engaged in teaching at the postgraduate level since 1994. His research interests include agricultural economics and rural development, issues concerning environmental and natural resources, climate change adaptation, and empowerment of women. Prof. De has visited Europe and Asia in connection with research and delivered keynote and invited lectures at a number of conferences. Besides presenting over 60 research papers at various international and national conferences, he has published seven volumes, completed a number of research projects and published over 75 research articles in reputed national and international journals. He is listed in the Who’s Who in the World 2013 Pearl Anniversary Edition, inclusion in which is limited to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in their own fields of endeavor and who have, thereby, contributed significantly to the betterment of contemporary society. Manoranjan Pal is currently a Professor at the Economic Research Unit (ERU) of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata. At the institute, besides teaching graduate and postgraduate courses, he is also engaged in carrying out projects of the Government of India and other organizations, while also guiding doctoral students. He was the Head of the ERU and Professor-In-Charge of the ISI’s Social Sciences Division (SSD). He worked as Member Secretary, Board of Directors, International Statistical Education Centre (ISEC), Kolkata, for more than 10 years starting from February 1999. Prof. Pal has held the post of a Visiting Professor at many international institutions. He has published more than 100 papers in reputed national and international journals and books. His research interests include the measurement of poverty, inequality and segregation, applied econometrics, andhealth and nutrition. Professor Pal’s name is included in the World 2013 Pearl Anniversary Edition in Marquis Who’s Who, inclusion in which is limited to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in their own fields of endeavor. Premananda Bharati is currently a Visiting Professor at the Biological Anthropology Unit of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata. He was Professor and Head of the same unit before his retirement in 2016, after having served at the institute for more than 30 years. His fields of interest include human biology, physical anthropology, growth, nutrition, poverty, gender issues and demography. He has taught at the Center of Statistics, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), Pretoria, South Africa. Prof. Bharati was named the International Man of the Year (1993/94) by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England; and Man of the Year 1994 by the American Biographical Institute, North Carolina,USA. He is a fellow of the Human Biology Association, Michigan, USA. In addition to teaching, he has published more than 100 research papers in journals of national and international repute and completed a number of research projects. He has visited America, Europe, and Asia extensively in connection with short-term courses and has delivered invited lectures and presented papers at various international and national seminars and conferences.
