HYDERABAD: Noted economist B P R Vithal, who served as a Member of the Tenth Finance Commission, passed away here on Friday. He was 93. He is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons.

Vithal, a 1950-batch IAS officer, died early this morning due to old age ailments.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed sorrow over the death of the veteran economist and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recalled his services as Finance and Planning secretary in undivided Andhra Pradesh and as Member of the Tenth Finance Commission. He conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members, an official release from the CMO read.

Vithal had served as Secretary, finance and planning in the government of Andhra Pradesh from 1972 to 1982 and as Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board. He was also Chairman of the Expenditure Commission, Government of Kerala.

Vithal had a brief stint at the International Monetary Fund as Fiscal Advisor to the governments of Sudan and Malawi. He had established the Centre for Economic and Social Studies in Hyderabad.

Educated at Madrasa-e-Aliya high school, Hyderabad, he graduated from Madras Christian College and joined the Hyderabad Civil Service in 1949, qualifying for IAS in 1950. In 1942, Vithal quit his under-graduate studies at Nizam College, Hyderabad, and attended the Quit India session of the Indian National Congress in Mumbai and actively participated in the national movement.

On Mahatma Gandhiji's advice, written on a postcard that Vithal preserved with care, he returned to his studies at Madras, where he was the first Indian president of the MCC students' union to fly the Indian tricolor, his son Sanjay Baru, media advisor to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said.

Vithal has also many publications to his credit. His essay "The Telangana Surpluses: A Case Study" played an influential role in shaping the demand for a separate state of Telangana, Baru said.

Over his long retired life, Vithal was associated with many social organisations and causes, including the Nizam's trust, Hyderabad Literary Society and others.

Saddened to learn about the passing away of Shri B P R Vithal, one of our country's most illustrious civil servants who left an indelible mark in the positions he occupied. pic.twitter.com/ARLxESRuls
— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) June 19, 2020

Saddened to learn about the death of veteran bureaucrat & well-known economist Sri BPR Vithal Garu

He was the author of ‘Telangana Surpluses’ that emphatically dispelled any doubts on viability of Telangana as a state

My wholehearted condolences to his son @Barugaru1 &family🙏 pic.twitter.com/wHtRFq3c4L
— KTR (@KTRTRS) June 19, 2020