Know Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen, the Indian economist and 1998 Nobel Prize winner in economics, has been awarded the prestigious National Medals of Arts and Humanities Award by United States President Barack Obama at a glittering function in White House, Washington.
"Sen is being awarded the 2011 National Humanities Medal for his insights into the causes of poverty, famine, and injustice. By applying philosophical thinking to questions of policy, he has changed how standards of living are measured and increased our understanding of how to fight hunger," said the citation.
The 2011 National Medal of Arts were also awarded to Will Barnet, Rita Dove, Al Pacino, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Martin Puryear, Mel Tillis, United Service Organisation and Andre Watts.
And the 2011 National Humanities Medal were given to Kwame Anthony Appiah, John Ashbery, Robert Darnton, Andrew Delbanco, National History Day, Charles Rosen sand Teofilo Ruiz, besides Sen.
Prof Sen, currently a professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University, is the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Economics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1998 for his contribution towards understanding the underlying causes of famine. He is also the recipient of India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna as well. Prof Sen has written or edited more than 30 books on economics and philosophy.
