Navin Bhatia* The mechanism of lending through Self Help Groups (SHGs) has gained wide popularity during the last few years and has been adopted as an important strategy by banks for lending to the poor. Despite tremendous growth in the number of SHGs linked to banks, their sustainability has not been subjected to detailed analysis. This paper is based on a State-level study conducted during 2005-06 to review the present status of SHGs, which were linked to banks til

“Globalization, Poverty and Inequality: between a rock and a hard place”, by Raphael Kaplinsky, 2005, Polity Press, Cambridge, UK, pages 280, price £16.99 Globalization and its implication for development is a well discussed issue among academicians, policy makers, non-government organizations and the general public. However, most often the discussions revolve around the pros and cons of globalization. This book by Raphael Kaplinsky, rises above the simple pros and c

China and India: A tale of two economies by Dilip K. Das Routledge Publication, New York, 2006, pages 175, price £ 65 While recent debate headlines the growing importance of China and India, the author’s timely presentation of the book widely covers the issues relating to their economic growth and political economy. While China’s sustained sky-scraping growth, huge capital inflows and tremendous trade surplus called for many debates, the recent achievement of India’s

Michael Debabrata Patra and Amaresh Samantaraya* Since the late 1990s, the monetary policy committee (MPC) is ushering in collective decision making on monetary policy among central banks across the world. In India, a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Monetary Policy has been set up to strengthen the consultative process in conduct of monetary policy. A survey of the literature and the cross-country experience shows that issues relating to the constitution of MPC,

S.M. Lokare* Commodity derivatives trading in India notwithstanding its long and tumultuous history, with globalisation and recent measures of liberalisation, has witnessed a massive resurgence turning it one of the most rapidly growing areas in the financial sector today. This paper endeavours to test the efficacy and performance of commodity derivatives in steering the price risk management. The critical analytics of performance divulges that these markets although

P. D. Jeromi* Re-emergence of informal financial institutions (IFIs) in the provision of credit has been a policy challenge in recent years in India. Though they meet the credit requirements of a section of the society, who are not served by the formal financial institutions, their unbridled growth, unlawful activities and links with other institutions may pose threats to the stability of financial system and makes the monetary policy less effective. Furthermore, the

The estimates of private consumption expenditure are generated in India by two agencies, viz. Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) and National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). CSO estimates in National Account Statistics (NAS) are obtained using commodity flow approach, while NSSO estimates are based on Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys (HCES). The studies comparing two sets of estimates done earlier revealed that the gap between the two sets of estimates

The fiscal policy assumes centre stage in policy deliberations as the continuous fiscal imbalances and rising levels of public debt pose risks to the prospects for macroeconomic stability, and accelerating and sustaining growth. Appropriate and timely fiscal policy measures can promote growth by setting efficient and effective use of scarce resources and by creating the right incentive signals. The well designed fiscal strategy would help to move an economy like India

Creativity@Work_ – S. Ramachander 2006 – Publisher: Response Books, (A Division of Sage Publications) New Delhi, Pages 203 Price Rs 320 Creativity@Work is a slim reasonably priced document (194 pages) and is a treasure of information. It is divided into 15 chapters and has 15 engaging illustrations, which draw out and encapsulate the written word. The book can serve as a guide to the creativity latent in all of us. It encourages the reader to see things differently,