Introduction

The Department of Economics at Mahatma Basweshwar College, Latur, established under Shri Mahatma Basweshwar Shikshan Sanstha, Latur, was founded in June 1970. At the time of its inception, the department initially offered courses at the Pre-University (P.U.C.) level and B.A. First Year.

Subsequently, the B.A. Second Year and B.A. Third Year courses were introduced in 1971 and 1972 respectively, thereby expanding the academic structure of the department.

At the time of its establishment, Prof. V. M. Birajdar served as the Head of the Department of Economics from June 1970 to June 1975. He was succeeded by Prof. B. S. Naringe, who served as Head of the Department from June 1975 to June 1999.

In August 1976, Prof. S. V. Tele was appointed to the Department of Economics. He later served as the Head of the Department from June 1999 to July 2010, contributing significantly to the department’s growth and academic development.

In April 2003, Dr. Anand Shewale was appointed as a full-time Assistant Professor in the department. Since July 2010, he has been serving as the Head of the Department. From the academic year 2022–23 onwards, Dr. Shewale has also been working as the Coordinator of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC). In addition, he serves as a research supervisor guiding Ph.D. scholars. More recently, in December 2025, Prof. V. B. Ghule was appointed as a full-time Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics.

Aims and Objectives

• The Department of Economics was established in June 1970.
• The department has its own independent library.
• Educational study tours are regularly organized.
• Research papers are published in national and international conferences.
• The department has published six books.
• Faculty members have been appointed as members of the Board of Studies (BOS) at Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded.
• The department organizes national conferences and seminars.
• The book on Mathematical Economics and Econometrics authored by Dr. A. T. Shewale, Head of the Department, received the Best Book Award from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad.

Facilities Provided

• Internet facilities for academic and research purposes
• Access to magazines and economic journals
• Reference materials such as Yojana and Economic and Political Weekly (EPW)
• Survey reports and government publications