Sukhadeo Thorat is Professor Emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is a former chairman of University Grant Commission and Indian Council of Social Science Research. He is also Chairman of Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, New Delhi and Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore. Prof Thorat is an economist by training who has worked extensively on issues related to rural poverty and agricultural growth, marginalised groups, the caste system, the cause of dalits, tribes, de-notified tribes, minorities, and education, through writings, Lectures Delivered and helping several dalits and other organizations. He has got research specialization in agricultural development, economic institutions and development, poverty, social exclusion and inequalities linkages, economics of caste system, caste and economic discrimination, market discrimination, labour market discrimination, Economic Problem of excluded groups, such as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Economic Ideas of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Human Rights and Urban slum, Ambedkar’s economic thoughts and Higher education in his previous roles at Jawaharlal Nehru University (1973-2014) and as the Director of the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (2003-2006). In 2008, Prof Thorat was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, Mother Teresa International Award, recently Babasaheb Ambedkar Ratna Award by Delhi government for his dedication and extraordinary contributions on the works and thoughts of Dr Ambedkar.