The Andhra Pradesh government has entered into a partnership with Nobel laureate and noted economist Professor Esther Duflo in Vijayawada, on Monday, 28 March, to focus on achieving sustainable development goals.
Co-founded by Prof Duflo, The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) will collaborate with the government to eradicate poverty and formulate schemes in the areas of agriculture, education, health, housing, and women empowerment. The agency has been working in 20 Indian states for the past 15 years.
After meeting AP Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday, Prof Duflo said,
"We had a very productive wonderful engagement with the Chief Minister. It was wonderful to find out all the great work that is happening and we’re looking forward to future collaboration."
'Shared Goal of Ending Poverty': Nobel Laureate Lauds AP CM
She lauded the CM’s efforts in formulating welfare schemes for the people and said that she looks forward to working with the government.
She said, "The CM has introduced the schemes for the betterment of the people in the state, particularly the poor section of the population. I shared some of our own experiences and hope to be working together towards this shared goal of ending poverty and making lives better in the state."
Professor Esther Duflo, along with her husband Indian-American economist Abhijit Banerjee, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2019 “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.”
The Nobel laureate said that the groundwork on the goals is already covered. She added, “we will do field observation and make suggestions for strengthening them.”
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)