IRMA Director Dr Umakant Dash Appointed Vice Chancellor of Gokhale Institute Pune
Well known management academician and economist, Dr Umakant Dash, the director of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) Pune. The announcement was made by Shri Sanjeev Sanyal, member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and chancellor of GIPE. In an interaction with MBAUniverse.com, Dr Dash confirmed that he will join GIPE Pune by end of July, 2025.
Speaking with MBAUniverse.com, Dr Dash shared his plans for the Gokhale Institute Pune. “I am truly honoured to be appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics. It is a privilege to be part of an institution with such a distinguished legacy in economic thought and public policy. This is a rare and meaningful opportunity for anyone devoted to advancing scholarship and societal development.”
Dr Dash brings with him a strong academic pedigree and administrative experience. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Utkal University (1990) and a Master’s from the Central University of Hyderabad (1992). He completed his Ph.D. in Applied Economics from IIT Kanpur in 1996. In 2009, Dr Dash joined IIT Madras as an associate professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and became a full professor in 2014. During his tenure, he also served as the head of the department. Dr. Umakant Dash is a published author in many referred journals. He is an active public policy expert and has been a member of various committees and expert groups of the Government of India.
In 2021, Dr Dash took over as the Director of IRMA. In his tenure, IRMA transformed into Tribhuvan Sahkari University. On February 3, 2025, the Union Government had introduced a new Bill to establish the Tribhuvan Sahkari University (TSU) in Anand, Gujarat. TSU is a ‘national university’ and ‘an institution of national importance’ that can offer programmes across the country. IRMA is envisaged as one of the ‘School’ within the larger University setup.
Dr Dash’s appointment as VC to bring stability at Gokhale Institute
Dr Dash’s appointment as Vice Chancellor is seen as an important step towards restoring stability at the legacy research institution. His appointment comes after a prolonged period of uncertainty at Gokhale Institute following the resignation of former Vice Chancellor Dr Ajit Ranade, and some controversies.
Dr Dash is expected to bring positivity to the Gokhale Institute, one of the oldest research and training institutes in economics in India. The institute was founded in 1930 as a centre for research and higher learning in economics. It was named a deemed university in 1993. The major research areas of the institute are agricultural economics, population studies, economic history, input–output analysis for planning and development, microeconomics, macroeconomics, monetary economics, financial economics, public economics, and international economics. GIPE offers a range of academic programmes, including MSc Economics, MA, BSc, and others.
Sharing his future plans with MBAUniverse.com, Dr Dash said: “My endeavour will be to strengthen the institute’s contributions to research, teaching, consultancy, and collaboration. I look forward to working closely with the faculty and stakeholders to build an environment of academic excellence and policy relevance, aligned with GIPE’s founding mission of serving society through knowledge.”