APPOINTMENT IN THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF APPLIED ECONOMIC
RESEARCH, NEW DELHI :-
After the results of the Master’s Degree in Economics was announced, in the
Mid – 1955, he was appointed to a teaching post in the University of Mysore. He hardly worked for a month by which time, there was an advertisement for the post of RESEARCH OFFICER in the NATIONAL COUNCIL OF APPLIED ECONOMIC RESEARCH, New Delhi. He sent his application with details of academic background till then. In the advertisement, they had made the Master’s Degree in Economics compulsory, but the appointment was subject to an interview in New Delhi. With in a week of his application, the appointment order was received requesting him to join the NCAER as ‘Research Officer’, stating that there was no need for an interview in view of the distinguished career. Dr. Ashok Mitra who was then in the Indian Economic Service was his colleague who retired later. He then joined politics and became the Finance Minister of West Bengal State in India. But,he remained a good friend and a colleague in Economics. Puttaswamaiah worked in the NCAER till early 1958.
APPOINTMENT AS EDITOR FOR KARNATAKA GOVERNMENT
GAZETTEER DEPARTMENT :-
He came across an advertisement calling for the post of ‘EDITOR’ in the Karnataka Government Gazetteer Department, he had applied for the post. He was interviewed and selected by a High Power Committee, then headed by Sri. P.V.R.Rao, the last I.C.S. Chief Secretary of the State and, among others, Sri P.H.Krishna Rao, a well-known personality and Administrator was there. He took charge of the post of “EDITOR” on JUNE 17, 1958 and worked as such till 1964, the day on which he had to take charge as Head (Technical) of the Karnataka Government’s Planning Department to which post he was transferred and appointed. During his tenure as EDITOR, Karnataka Government Gazetteers Department, he authored all Chapters which had
bearing on Economic Development and Finance. He contributed to twelve District Gazetteers before he went to the Planning Department which have all been published. These Chapters have been based on Original Researches as: (1) As the old Gazeteers by Louis Rice and Lt. Cannor were all confined to local history and places of interest only. The new Gazetteers have to be all comprehensive with separate chapters for each subject – about 12 to 15 chapters in each Gazetteer volume were on Economic Development and Finance. After he wrote chapters for the Bijapur District Gazatteer, the “Central Unit of the Gazetteers” at New Delhi appreciated and requested to draw an
outline Guidance based on the new “Bijapur Gazatteer”. It was prepared and
published for circulation among other States by the Government of India.
WORK EXPERIENCE :
a) Senior Director, Planning Department, Government of Karnataka – 10
years.
The Department had a number of divisions, namely, Project Formulation
Division, Manpower Division, Perspective Planning Division, Evaluation Division, Plan Monitoring division and special Studies Division, each headed by a Director. The Senior Director was to direct, co-ordinate and guide these technical divisions. A number of studies have emerged from each division. Out of interest, he kept Project Formulation and Evaluation Divisions with him directly, though he was heading all the divisions and responsible for over-all coordination – technical and administrative.
b) Director, Project Formulation and Evaluation – 7 years
Prior to the setting up of the structure of the Department as explained at (a) above. There were two divisions, which Dr. K.Puttaswamaiah headed. A number of Evaluation Studies were conducted and projects formulated, some of which contained original ideas which were innovative in nature which were replicated now in almost all parts of the World which are explained later under “Project Formulation. Section”.
c) Concurrently,he held the post of Director, Rural Development Department for 10 years with (a) and (b) in which capacity, a number of Special Economic
Programmes for Poverty Alleviation have had to be formulated, monitored,
implemented and evaluated.
d) Director of Research in the Rank of the Additional Commissioner, Commercial Taxes Department where, studies of innovative nature were conducted to improve tax collection – 4 years.
e) Editor – Karnataka State Gazetteers – He was specially selected and drawn from National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi to take up this assignment. It meant lot of touring and fieldwork, socio-economic
studies/surveys to compile district Gazetteers. He completed twelve District
Gazetteers, then transferred to Planning Department – 7 years.
Total experience has been more than three decades in the application of Economic Theories in the process of Planning, Preparation of Projects, conducting Evaluation Studies and Regional Economics, besides Administration.
Presently, he is Editor-in-Chief, “International Journal of Applied Economics and Econometrics” which is being published in India since 1991. It was published for two years in 2001 and 2002 by the Transaction Publishers – Rutgers, The State University of New Jersy.Dr. Puttaswamaiah was the ‘Founder Editor’ with Jan Tinbergen, the First Nobel Laureate in Economics who is now the “Founder Patron”. He is fortunate to have an Eminent Expert Committee of Advisors consisting of Prof. Paul A. Samuelson, the First American Nobel Laureate, Professors Lawrence R. Klein, Robert M. Solow, and Robert C. Merton, Nobel Laureates in Economics and Eminent Senior Professors and Economists from all Continents of the World. More details are provided in a separate section about the Journal, the Editorial Advisory Board, Information to Contributors details of some Special Issues broughtout with opinions on them.