K.L. Krishna
An econometrician who taught at the Delhi School of Economics for half a century and led India's productivity research, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
K.L. Krishna has taught econometrics, the use of statistics to study the economy, to generations of Indian economists. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of literature and education, from Andhra Pradesh [1].
From Unguturu to Chicago
Krishna was born on 16 August 1935 in Unguturu village, Krishna district [2]. He studied mathematics at Andhra University and statistics at Kerala University, then trained at the Indian Statistical Institute’s school led by C.R. Rao [2]. He joined the Delhi School of Economics in 1958 and, as a Fulbright scholar, took a PhD in economics at the University of Chicago between 1963 and 1967 [2].
Fifty years of teaching
He taught at the Delhi School of Economics until he retired in 2000, and kept teaching econometrics there in an honorary role until 2010, supervising many PhD and MPhil students [2]. He served as its director and head of economics [2].
He was founding managing editor of the Journal of Quantitative Economics and president of the Indian Econometric Society [2]. From 2013 to 2022 he led the India KLEMS project, funded by the Reserve Bank of India, which measures productivity across the Indian economy [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2025: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2025: citation for K.L. Krishna — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
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