“To make democracy function effectively, we must have inclusive growth. MicroFinance has given a choice to those who were earlier excluded from the traditional institutional mode of Finance. Since more than 80 per cent of Indian farmers do not get loans from such institutions, emergence of micro-Finance has been beneficial to the rural poor.” Dr Amiya Sharma, executive director of the Rastriya Gramin Vikash Nidhi (RGVN) opined this at the fourth...

THE issue of foodgrain management policy has assumed renewed importance with several reports in the media of large-scale wastage and diversion from the public distribution system (PDS). In a cogently-argued paper recently, Prof Kaushik Basu, a well-known economist and the chief economic adviser in the ministry of Finance, has argued for foodgrain to be released in lots of much smaller size into the market, than is presently done by the...

Stung by the skyrocketing retail prices of onion in the country, the Centre on Thursday announced abolition of import duties and banned its exports for an indefinite period. Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, who is personally monitoring the situation, asked the State governments to take strong action against hoarders. He asked the Commerce Ministry to import onions to cool down prices. The government directed its three trading companies — STC, PEC and MMTC...

Fearing a default from Andhra Pradesh-based microFinance institutions (MFIs), whose cash flows have been disrupted by new laws, lenders have asked RBI to ensure stability by bringing the sector under its purview. In a meeting called by the Reserve Bank to discuss funding of MFIs, it asked banks whether the institutions were repaying loans on time and if the end-borrower was suffering because of the credit crunch faced by them. RBI...

At its core, healthcare is essentially a public service. So its demand and supply cannot be left to the market and can't be limited to care rendered or Financed by public expenditure, but must also include incentives and disincentives for care paid for by citizens. India's healthcare challenges are aggravated by lack of overall coverage of health insurance services. Although the government and some private employers provide health protection, the...