| File:John Mathai.jpg
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| Office | Union Minister for Finance |
|---|---|
| Office | Union Minister for Railways
|
| Predecessor | R. K. Shanmukham Chetty |
| Successor | C. D. Deshmukh
|
| Born | 1886-01-10 |
| Born | Calicut, Madras Presidency, British India (now Kozhikode, Kerala, India) |
| Died | Template:Death date (aged 73)
|
| Nationality | British Indian (1886-1947) Indian (1947-59)
|
| Political party | Indian National Congress
|
| Alma mater | Madras Christian College, Madras Law College[1]
|
John Matthai CIE (1886–1959) was an economist who served as India's first Railway Minister and subsequently as India's Finance Minister,[2] taking office shortly after the presentation of India's first Budget, in 1948. He was born on January 10, 1886, as the son of Challiyal Thomas Matthai and Anna Thayyil to an Anglican Syrian Christian family.[3] He graduated in economics from the University of Madras. He served as a Professor and Head in University of Madras from 1922 to 1925.[4] He presented two Budgets as India's Finance Minister, but resigned following the 1950 Budget in protest against the increasing power of the Planning Commission and P. C. Mahalanobis.[5][6] He was the first Chairman of the State Bank of India when it was set up in 1955. He was the founding President of the Governing Body of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in New Delhi, India's first independent economic policy institute established in 1956. He served as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Mumbai from 1955 till 1957[7] and then as the first Vice Chancellor of the University of Kerala from 1957 to 1959. His nephew, Verghese Kurien, is generally recognized as the architect of India's White Revolution.[8] Dr. John Matthai Centre,[9] Thrissur, located on the large plot of land donated by his family, is named in his honour. His wife, Achamma Matthai was an Indian social worker and a women's rights activist.[10] The Government of India honoured her in 1954 with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award, for her contributions to the society,[11]
John Matthai was invested as a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1934,[12] and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1959.[13] NCAER, led by the President of its Governing Body, Nandan Nilekani and with support from the Nilekani Philanthropies, honoured John Matthai in 2019 by naming NCAER's new office building at its campus in New Delhi as the John Matthai Tower.
References
- ↑ Early Life & Education. John Mathai. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ↑ Reflections on Finance Education and Society{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Motilal Banarsidass Publication. ISBN 9788120830752
- ↑ Dr. John Matthai, 1886-1959 : a biography{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Publication Division, University of Calicut(2000). ISBN 978-8177480085
- ↑ University of Madras: Department of Economics. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ↑ Men who shaped up India's economy. The Economic Times(2007-02-21). Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ↑ The Concept of Collective Ministerial Responsibility in India- Theory and Practice. Rostrum's Law Review(2014-01-02). Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ↑ A Message By the Vice-Chancellor. The Bombay Technologist({Template:Date).
- ↑ The Nephew Of Our First Railway Minister Was The Architect Of 'White Revolution'. The Logical Indian(2016-06-14). Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ↑ Dr. John Matthai Centre. www.jmctsr.org. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ↑ Women's Rights and World Development{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Sarup & Sons(1998). ISBN 9788176250153
- ↑ Padma Shri. Padma Shri(2015). Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- ↑ London Gazette, 4 June 1934
- ↑ Padma Vibhushan Awardees. The National Portal of India. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
External links
Template:First Indian Cabinet Template:Ministry of Civil Aviation (India) Template:Padma Vibhushan Awards Template:Padma Award winners of Kerala Template:SBI