Are public sector banks (PSBs) important for the economy? Have the PSBs served the purpose for which they were created? Could the PSBs compete efficiently against the private sector banks (PVBs)? These are some of the questions, which have been answered by a chapter in the RBI Bulletin's August edition. Efficiency of PSBs Co-authored by Snehal S Herwadkar, Sonali Goel, and Rishuka Bansal (2022) of the Banking Research Division, Reserve Bank of...

-The Hindu Business Line Lack of data and monitoring on cropping patterns and water use has given irrigation schemes a bad name Long before the British Raj, India was a pioneer in canal irrigation by building dams across rivers. After Independence, considering the importance of canal irrigation, the Central and State governments have been giving increased thrust to its development. Today, India is one of the countries with the largest number of...

-Down to Earth The production of the allium has doubled in the last decade; Chinese, Iranian garlic with larger cloves in greater demand, say farmers There have been several calls to allow garlic export after several video clips on social media showed farmers from Madhya Pradesh throwing out or burning their crops, allegedly over low prices of the allium.  One clip making rounds showed the crop being dumped into a river, while another...

-PTI/ Newsclick.in The economist said the word 'freebies' indicates the class position of those who use it. New Delhi: Economist Jayati Ghosh said that 'basic needs' like nutrition, healthcare, housing and education, which the government should provide for its citizens, are not freebies, while asserting that the poor are more entitled to receive their basic needs. Ghosh noted that the word 'freebies' indicates the class position of those who use it. "India has one...

-Moneycontrol.com The study also suggests that market confidence tends to be in favour of PSBs in terms of crisis. The latest Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bulletin published on August 18 suggests that a big bang approach to privatisation of government-owned banks may do more harm than good. A paper published in the bulletin analyses various pros and cons of privatisation and identifies how an emerging economy like India may face more challenges...