Posts

Showing posts from December, 2018

A MODEL VILLAGE: HIWARE BAZAR IN MAHARASHTRA

HIWARE BAZAR IN MAHARASHTRA: A MODEL VILLAGE January 1, 2019 Model Village This refers to the report “New Year resolution: No farm-loan waiver, please” (Business Line, January 1). Radheshyam Jadhav has covered a host of aspects which make Hiware Bazar Village a model for entire India in the present context. Deputy sarpanch Popatrao Pawar’s statement, “…loan waivers don’t help farmers sustain and survive. We just need pure seeds, electricity and a fair price for our produce,” should be an eye-opener for all concerned, from those at NITI Ayog, down to the political/social workers at the lowest level in the villages. Hiware Bazar, as per the report has a farmer population well aware of essential ‘backward and forward linkages for agricultural projects’ which has managed the resources available in the area at optimum levels. The same model may not be amenable for replication elsewhere. But the principles and approaches to resources mobilization and project management are

Who should own Reserve Bank of India?: When owners disown RBI

Economic & Political Weekly, December 29, 2018 Letters Privatising the RBI In the article “Paranoia or Prudence? How Much Capital Is Enough for the RBI?” by Abhishek Anand, Josh Felman, Navneeraj Sharma, and Arvind Subramanian, published in EPW (8 December 2018), the authors have refrained from commenting on the adequacy of the Reserve Bank of India’s share capital, which has remained static at `50 million since the inception of the bank. I am not commenting on the content of this article, which I perceive as a pro-government note to take forward the idea that was mooted in the Economic Survey 2015–16, but withheld on being proved unwise by RBI’s erstwhile governor Rag huram Rajan. On this issue, no elucidation is needed beyond reading Rajan’s speech on “The Independence of the Central Bank,” delivered at St Stephen’s College in Delhi. In a recent article, “Why Should the Government Own the RBI?,” in the Business Standard

RBI's capital woes: Jalan Panel has a tough job in hand

//economictimes.indiatimes. com/articleshow/67316765.cms? utm_source=contentofinterest& utm_medium=text&utm_campaign= cppst My response: December 31, 2018 RBI’s capital woes This refers to the interesting report “RBI Decides Not to Touch Valuation Gain” by Sugatha Ghosh (ET, December 31). This may temporarily dampen the inflated expectations of Finance Ministry emanating from the fallacious estimates of RBI’s reserves in Economic Survey 2016-17. This may make the ECF Panel’s job tougher, as the Jalan Panel has already been dubbed ‘fund transfer committee’ by a section of the media. Jalan Panel’s task will now hover around: (a)      Arriving at the amount of share capital RBI should have. RBI’s share capital has remained static at Rs 50 million since inception (1935). This may have to be raised to a decent level, say well above the equivalent of   $500 billion. (b)     To consider whether RBI should create a ‘Capital Protection Fund’ to insulate its capi

RBI's Economic Capital Framework: Some suggestions

RBI’s Economic Capital Framework (ECF)* Some suggestions for the Panel to consider This refers to the report “Bimal Jalan to head expert panel on Economic Capital Framework” (Business Line, December 8). It is heartening to find that RBI has shown the magnanimity and chosen to include both Jalan and Rakesh Mohan in the Economic Capital Framework (ECF) Panel, putting to rest the speculations in the media about differences of views between GOI and RBI as to who should man the panel. The terms of reference given to the Panel are broad enough to cover various aspects of the controversy about the capital framework of RBI which became almost a spar between two schools of thought on the holding of reserves by India’s central bank. Here three or four aspects deserve the Panel’s attention. They are: a)     RBI’s share capital has remained static at Rs 5 crore since inception (1935). Is there a case for raising this to a decent level, say, the equivalent of US $ 500 billion or upw

MERRY X'MAS: LET'S SING SOME SONGS

https://parenting.firstcry. com/articles/15-christmas- songs-and-poems-for-kids/ Good Morning Old age, they say,  is second childhood. So, let's sing with kids, This X'Mas Day                                  M G Warrier