Council for social development - New Delhi

Dr. Tajamul Haque, Distinguished Professor, Council for Social Development passed away on  2^nd  May, 2021. It is a deep and irreparable loss to the CSD family and the agriculture fraternity at large. He had been associated with CSD since 2008 and worked in the capacity of Director till 2015. He was an active academician who took positions as policy maker at various points in life. At the heart of all his policy recommendations was the welfare of the small and marginal farmers.

He has worked at various capacities with Government of India and also with many International Organisations for over more than 2 decades. He served as a consultant to several international organizations such as the International Labour Organisation, Food and Agricultural Organisation and the World Bank. Dr. Haque also worked as member/chairman of several professional societies, working groups and advisory boards of Planning Commission, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture, CII, ICAR, NIRD, HIRD, member of several expert committees of the Government of India, and the State Governments of Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. He also served as Chairperson, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, -Government of India and was appointed National Fellow of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research at the National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research.

Recently, he had been appointed as Honorary Chairperson of the Special Cell on Land Policy in the Niti Aayog. Dr. Haque is also known as a land expert in India and abroad. He has been associated with land-related issues in South Asian countries for quite a long time. He has been working as an Advisor to Landesa, which works in more than 40 countries. He is presently heading the ten-member committee constituted by NITI Aayog to review the tenancy laws of various states.

He has authored, co-authored, and edited more than 100 publications including books like “Land Policies for inclusive Growth”. His writings are largely on rural development, agricultural policies to facilitate inclusive policy works for developing countries like India. Empowerment of Rural Women in Developing Countries, Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Bt. Cotton in India, Land Policies for Inclusive Growth, Agrarian Reforms and Institutional Changes in India, Impact of Land Reforms on Agriculture and Rural Development, Transfer of Technology to Small Farmers and Impact of Tenancy Reform on Agricultural Productivity and Socio-economic Status of Tenants and Sustainability of Small Holder Agriculture.

He was a very humble person who was loved and respected by political leaders, academicians, bureaucrats, media persons, colleagues, as well as a number of farmer leaders from all over the country. On Thursday, 13^th May, 2021, CSD  organized an online Memorial Meeting to pay tribute to Dr. Tajamul Haque. It was attended by a large number of Academics, Close friends, Colleagues and representative of numerous institutions from all walks of life who had the privilege of being benefited by his in-depth knowledge, expertise and kind hearted nature.
https://www.epw.in/journal/2021/21/commentary/tajamul-haques-life-crusade-inclusive-land-rights.html