The Economics Department of Christ College came into being since the inception of the College in 1944. Sri Agarwal was the first teacher in economics, but the left the college after two months. Later on, he became the secretary of Orissa Chamber of Commerce. Sri Heramba Narayan Dasmohapatra, the second economics lecturer of the college joined the I.A.S. cadre in 1947 and for a period, occupied the position of Education Secretary of the state. Then Mr. Currien and Mr. Jacob joined the department. Thereafter, Mr. V. Subrahmanyam and Sri D.N. Samantaray joined the department and both of them retired as principals of the college. Dr. Basanta Kumar Jena, Sri Siben Kumar Bose and Mr. Masanta Kumar Jena, Sri Siben Kumar Bose and Mr. Mohammad Ismail joined the department and continued serving the institution till their retirement. At present, the teaching staff of the department comprises Mrs. PrajnaSamantaray (H.O.D.), Dr. JogasankarMahaprashasta, Dr. Gadadhar Rout and Ms. PriyadarsiniPradhan. Presently, there are 32 seats at the Honours level and a number of students secure first class in the university exams every year. Since the introduction of the Gold Medal for the Best Graduate in the Arts stream in 1995, the Economics Department has been proud to win the coveted medal seven times so far. A large number of economics students are well established in regional and national arena,such as in the spheres of education, banking and insurance, business, sports, art and culture. Every year, economics students take part in all competitions held at the college and university levels and come out with flying colours. Welcome and farewell functions are held grandly and both Ganesh and Saraswati Pujas are celebrated in the department with great religious fervour.
The Economics Department of Christ College is also making a mark in the social and economic pursuits through its extracurricular activities. Some of the teachers and students impart education to deprived tribal children in slum areas of Cuttack in their spare time. They are also involved in the spread of the message of ‘Swachha Bharat Abhiyan’ in the nooks and corners of the city. Field survey along the lines of different economic indicators has been the prime involvement of the teachers and students of the department. Sometimes, a sample study of the living conditions of the various strata of people in the society, specifically the backward and the weaker sections, the inmates of the peripheral villages and the prevailing sanitation and environmental factors is undertaken. From time to time, the department holds seminars where teachers, students and alumni participate. Talks by eminent economists of the country are also organized on burning topics like demonetisation, GST, price instability as well as various social, economic andenvironmental upheavals. The department plans to pursue various economic empirical studies instead of confining the teachers and students to the four walls of the classroom ambience.
A Planning Forum was formed way back in 1960-61 as an adjunct to the Economics Department. The forum used to receive grants to finance its workings. It used to undertake studies through questionnaire method in different villages to arouse consciousness of the rural folk about five year plans and to formulate databases on availability of drinking water, roads, schools, agricultural markets, sanitation, health services and literacy rate in rural areas. It also conducted surveys to collect information about cooperative societies, credit facilities, cash crops, tenancy reforms, available irrigation facilities, and use of fertilizers and pesticides. Survey reports were being furnished to the authorities. Meetings were organized to educate people on plannedeconomic growth. Unfortunately, the grants were discontinued in course of years and the activities of the planning forum have been crunched, though otherwise the department is active in its own way.
The 37th Annual conference of the Orissa Economics Association was hosted by Christ College which witnessed thought provoking sessions on the Economics of Value Added Tax and Water Harvesting Structures in Orissa. A National Seminar was also, organized on ‘State Level Fiscal Reforms in India', which was well attended by a host of eminent economists of regional and national repute. The Economics Department of Christ College has also been instrumental in launching the website of the association.
The family of the Economics Department of the college comprising faculty members and students is striving hard and making united efforts to take the department to greater heights.
