There have been many successes and failures in economic and social development of India in the last 75 years. The recent covid-19 pandemic had also an adverse impact on growth, employment, health and education etc. In this paper, issues and policies are discussed beyond India@75 for achieving growth, inclusion and …
The Reserve Bank of India has directed all banks to maintain "no-frills accounts" - a bank account at zero balance - for 100% fi nancial inclusion so as to include all households under the ambit of the formal fi nancial sector. This study conducted in 2008 in Hooghly district of …
This article poses four questions which will need to be addressed by the recently-constituted Fourteenth Finance Commission. Given an expansive terms of reference, should the commission confi ne itself to its constitutional mandate? Second, should the commission seek to develop incentive frameworks which will carry credibility with future commissions? Third, …
This study examines the impact of mandated reservations for female sarpanch (elected heads of gram panchayats) on perceptions of service delivery and women's democratic participation. Using survey data from Sangli district in Maharashtra, it finds that the availability of basic public services is significantly higher in female sarpanch villages compared …
India has chalked out ambitious plans and policies to tackle climate change and environment issues. However given the scarcity of resources & competing demands, finding the matching resources is a challenge said this annual survey of developments in the Indian economy. A flagship annual document of the Ministry of Finance, …
The Odisha Economic Survey, 2012-13 analyses various aspects of the economy of the State; provides useful information for the citizens to know the status of the State’s economy and is a source of valuable feedback for policy makers and others. The Odisha Economic Survey, 2012-13 looks at the State’s finances, …
The government is likely to shoot down the department of financial services’ (DFS) plan to appoint common banking correspondent companies for transferring cash to poor people, and replace it with a countrywide network of ‘micro ATMs’, as it seeks to finalise the last-mile payment architecture for cash transfers. In a …
GeSI's SMARTer2020 report demonstrates how the increased use of information and communication technology (ICT) such as video conferencing and smart building management could cut the projected 2020 global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 16.5%, amounting to $1.9 trillion in gross energy and fuel savings and a reduction of 9.1 Gigatonnes …
Developing Asia is confronted with a protracted slowdown in the world’s major advanced economies and decelerating growth in its own two giants: the People’s Republic of China and India. The continuing sovereign debt crisis in Europe and tepid growth in the United States and Japan have undercut demand for the …
Social enterprises (SEs) have the potential to make India’s spectacular growth story work better for its poor citizens. Currently, India’s rapidly growing economy has not managed to alleviate the extreme poverty of nearly half the country’s population that lives below the $1.25 per day poverty line. There are several reasons …
Visits to seven small towns in north India reveal how paucity of funds, slipshod planning and a dearth of capabilities have contributed to poor civic services and inadequate infrastructure. Citizens in some areas have organised themselves into neighbourhood committees to tackle problems that the urban bodies neglect, but this has …
A comparative evaluation of one-stop, computerised citizen service centres in various Indian states has been carried out in this paper to assess their efficacy. It is found that the outcomes of policies related to e-governance in India are not correlated to conventional variables such as economic development. Instead the extent …
Urbanisation in India is currently marked by two fundamental trends: lopsided migration to the larger cities and unbalanced regional economic development. In this context, this paper makes a case for the concerted development of small and medium cities as the key focus in the strategy to ensure sustainable urbanisation in …
Trade ministers from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries hope to have a list of environmental goods for tariff liberalisation by September, officials announced after meeting in Kazan, Russia earlier this week. The two-day gathering also saw ministers address issues such as food security and trade facilitation, while continuing …
The aim of this study is to examine different approaches to measuring pro-poor growth rate in the context of Pakistan’s sub-sectors, that is, agriculture, manufacturing, commodity producing and services sectors. This research is extended within the phenomenon of Pro-Poor Growth Index (PPGI) and Poverty Equivalent Growth Rates (PEGR) which is …
The surveys of unincorporated non-agricultural enterprises conducted by NSSO are the primary source of data on various indicators of economic and operational characteristics of such enterprises in manufacturing, trade and other service sector (excluding construction) at national and state level. These are used for planning, policy formulation, decision support and …
This paper analyses employment trends and addresses the problem of creating decent and productive employment in the non-agricultural sector during the first decade of the 21st century. Its primary interest is to examine the transition from informal employment in the unorganised sector towards formal employment in the non-agricultural organised sector. …
Eleven state governments have enacted Right-to-Public-Services laws in the last couple of years without any pressure from the centre. All except one of these states are in the Hindi heartland which is known for its fractured polity. These enactments are perhaps an attempt to regain the faith of the middle …
The role of Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector towards sustainability has evolved globally from corporate philanthropy to a recognized means of value addition for stakeholders. This article explores the business risks and opportunities for environmental sustainability based on Global BFSI best practices, and create a case for sustainability …
This paper examines the changes in the ways in which villagers have gained access to resources and services over time in what are now “villages in the city” within the city of Guangzhou. It compares and contrasts three periods: the clan-based traditional villages, the commune period and the period since …
The Economic Survey 2011–12 summarizes the performance on major development programmes & has a new chapter that reflects the growing challenges of sustainable development & climate change. A flagship annual document of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, Economic Survey 2011–12 reviews the developments in the Indian economy over …
