bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Histo-morphology of the alimentary canal in two freshwater snakehead fish Channa punctata and Channa striata
Authors: Borman Mita , Ara Ismot , Kamrujjaman Mohammad , Nabi Md Rafiqun
Published: December 2015

The histo-morphological study of the alimentary canal of two carnivore freshwater snakehead fish Channa punctata and C. striata was carried out from October 2013 to July 2014. It revealed that three major parts like oesophagus, stomach and intestine composed of short thick-walled body. The oesophagus begins with buccopharynx. Structure and arrangement of both villiform and canine teeth on jaws in C. striata are more extendable and stronger than C. punctata and thereby made the former one more successful predator. The availability and arrangement pattern of mucous pits and taste bud pores in oesophagus are also prominent in C. striata. The TS of stomach of both the species has broad GM devoid of goblet mucous cells,  but surface layer CC and basal layer GG open through gastric pits. The length of intestine (16.0 cm) and intestinal pyloric caeca (5.5 cm) in C. striata are larger than C. punctata (7.0 cm and 1.5 cm, respectively). However, the TS of intestinal Sr. 0.05 mm; MM. 0.8 mm; Mu 0.5 mm suggest in favour of carnivore habit of both the species.
Impressões Papilares Podem Revelar Mais do que a Identidade de seus Autores
Authors: Carlos Magno Alves Girelli
Published: December 2015

Impressões papilares são marcas únicas capazes de individualizar e exercem relevante papel na identificação de pessoas para diversos fins. Na esfera criminal, a análise minuciosa dessas marcas pode revelar não apenas a identidade de seu autor, mas também informações adicionais que podem ser úteis na elucidação dos fatos e na persecução criminal. A exploração dessas informações adicionais não é uma prática comum entre os peritos em identificação forense e os currículos dos cursos de formação profissional da área não contemplam tais possibilidades, restringindo-se à busca pela autoria. O objetivo deste trabalho é alertar os praticantes de ciências forenses quanto à diversidade de informações que podem ser obtidas de impressões papilares, além da identificação da autoria. O método que orienta o artigo consiste em pesquisa bibliográfica e apresentação de exemplos pertinentes à discussão, bem como estudo de um caso real. Como forma de ilustrar a metodologia que deve ser utilizada na análise de impressões papilares e os detalhes intrínsecos e extrínsecos das impressões que devem ser considerados, foi realizado um experimento simples, onde impressões digitais foram coletadas de forma sistemática visando gerar imagens idênticas. Todas as impressões obtidas apresentaram discordâncias suficientes para se afirmar que não se tratavam de cópias de uma mesma imagem, mas sim de impressões originadas de uma mesma fonte através de coletas distintas. Praticantes de ciências forenses devem estar atentos a isso e agir com iniciativa, criatividade e inovação para explorar por completo esta fonte de dados.
A Atuação De Um Conselho Municipal De Saúde Na Percepção Dos Conselheiros
Authors: Carla A. Arena Ventura  , Marcela Jussara Miwa  , Felipe Giolo Telini
Published: December 2015

Este estudo pretende descrever a percepção de conselheiros sobre a atuação de um Conselho Municipal de Saúde na gestão das políticas públicas de saúde de uma cidade do interior paulista. Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa descritiva que contou com a participação de 10 conselheiros. A coleta de dados ocorreu entre os anos de 2010 e 2011 e se deu por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas e posterior análise temática das informações. Das entrevistas emergiram três temas: a) CMS como agente fiscalizador da saúde no município; b) CMS voltado para os interesses dos cidadãos e seu papel deliberativo; c) CMS como exemplo regional. Apesar dos conselheiros apresentarem opinião positiva a respeito do CMS, não é possível afirmar sua efetividade na elaboração de políticas públicas de saúde, uma vez que exercem pouca influência no município e estabelecem escassa articulação com outros agentes políticos locais.
Studying Crisis through Structural Breaks: A Retrospective on Asian Currency Crisis
Authors: Murthy K. V. Bhanu , Kalsie Anjala
Published: December 2015

The financial crises that have happened during the past few years give us an opportunity to think in retrospect about crisis. The objective of this paper is to identify and analyse various indicators which were affected by the East Asia crisis. The methodology employed is more scientific and systematic and studies structural breaks, before, during and after the crisis. Dummy variables have been used for both A5 countries and India which enabled inter-temporal and international comparisons of crisis variables. The variables do not show the same trend in case of all the crisis-hit countries. In India, none of the variables show structural break indicating that India was not hit by the crisis.
Internationalising Business and Reporting by Geographical Area
Authors: Nicolò Domenico
Published: December 2015

Internationalisation is a rational response to the threat posed by foreign competition. A company's development via internationalisation is not sufficient for long term profitability. Further changes are needed in management control that include management processes, organisational structure, reporting system, and Enterprise Resource Planning. This paper considers only changes related to the reporting system required to supply reports by geographical segment (both for management control and for external financial reporting). Disclosing reports per geographical segment increases the confidence of the financial markets and, thus, should reduce the cost of equity and interest rate of loans. After illustrating the concept of geographical subsystems, we discuss the advantages of space-time segmentation for the definition of operating segment by geographical areas, and the criteria used for segmentation.
Assessing the Impact of Mergers and Acquisitions on Firm Performance: Evidence from India
Authors: Kar Rabi Narayan , Soni Amit , Singh Chandan Kumar
Published: December 2015

The issue regarding why corporate enterprises engage in mergers and acquisitions (M&As) has become the centre of a large body of corporate finance literature in recent years. In the Indian context, the deregulated policy regime started in 1991 has significantly contributed to the increase in M&A activity. This paper is aimed at examining the long-term impact following M&As of listed Indian enterprises in the post-liberalisation period by using financial accounting data. Throughout the period of study, turnover increased after the companies experienced an M&A which is in line with the findings that Indian companies grew in size and attained bigger market share. M&As did not have any impact on return on net worth for the period of study. Mixed results have been reported for other variables.
Developments in India’s Bilateral Trade with ASEAN: A Study in Manufactured Sectors
Authors: Singh Mayengbam Lalit
Published: December 2015

The present paper deals with the impact of the recently signed ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on manufactured goods. Partial equilibrium model approach (SMART model) has been employed to find out trade creation and diversion values of those goods in respective markets (India as well as ASEAN). In this paper, a new index has been constructed to embody score of India and two ASEAN groups using values of trade creation and diversion.
Growth, Instability and Determinants in India’s Agricultural Commodity Export: A Policy Period Analysis
Authors: Chand Phool
Published: December 2015

The economic liberalization in India resulted in a shift from a fixed exchange rate regime to flexible exchange rate regime. Further, as a consequence of liberalisation and globalization, there was a removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, which led to a growth in exports. As agriculture forms the backbone of the Indian economy, we analyse two aspects of agricultural commodity exports, namely, growth and instability, over the period 1990-91 to 2010-11. In order to see the impact of policy periods, the study is categorised into four different policy periods, corresponding to liberalisation, WTO, world recovery and global crisis. This is followed by an attempt to see the impact of macro-economic variables such as exchange rate, GDP and money supply on the performance of agricultural commodity exports. The study concludes that growth of agricultural commodities exports largely depends upon GDP. Instability, on the other hand, depends upon money supply. In fact, the behaviour of foreign exchange rate is anomalous, since depreciation reduces export growth and it creates instability.
Global Environmental Standard: Barriers or Catalysts to Trade? The Case of Indian Marine Sector
Authors: Gautam Savita
Published: December 2015

The environmental measures promulgated by the countries attain their WTO compatibility through the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement; the essential condition being that the measures are to be applied in a manner that they become least trade restrictive. A case of exporters of shrimps is taken to analyse the effect of environmental measures on marine exports of India. Using primary data on compliance costs and linking the measures with it, the author concludes that the environmental measures indeed prove to be trade barriers to their international business operations thus losing out on access to markets.
Market Access: A Case Study on Indian Pharmaceutical Goods in U.S. Market
Authors: Singh Mayengbam Lalit
Published: December 2015

North-South trade failure with skewed income distribution has been a topic of debate for many decades despite the promises supported by many theories. The present paper gives different criticisms in three different versions: the first version criticises the faulty fixation of price of the goods based on marginal cost of production (inputs) in the manufactured country and not on the marginal cost of production (same inputs) in the importing country and exchange rate differences; the second version gives criticism on behavioural differences of firms in the North and the South; the third version criticises the differences in the technologies of production (whether licensed or not). Owing to the above criticisms, market access of the goods (from both the South and North) has differences and hence income distribution in equity cannot be achieved.
Evolving Dimensions of Indian Outward Foreign Direct Investment
Authors: Jain Vandana
Published: December 2015

Post liberlisation regime of 1991, India became has become a lucrative investment avenue for overseas investors. At the same time, over the past decade or so, Indian companies have become competitive at the international level and have engaged in overseas investments and mergers and acquisitions abroad. The paper, in this perspective, attempts to highlight this emerging trends and patterns of India as an overseas investor. It presents the emerging trends and patterns of Indian Outward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) during the post liberlisation regime, and showcases the growing significance of India as an overseas investor in the South East Asian region. The paper demonstrates an analytical overview of the evolving Outward FDI from India in terms of sectoral as well as geographical composition.
Editorial
Authors: Bhasin Dr. Niti
Published: December 2015

The world of international business is confronting new opportunities and challenges with evolving systems of internationalisation. In each issue of FOCUS, we attempt to bring to our readers topical research areas in international business which can be of interest to both academicians and policymakers. The first article in this issue analyses the possibility of a multipolar world in the 21st century, with a place for South Asia as a distinct unit. While there is immense potential for South Asia to emerge as a powerful unit in view of its demographics, diversity, dynamism and IT knowledge, the region faces a number of persisiting problems like poverty, population, corruption, poor quality of education, and weak democratic governance. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has always been an area of interest for the international business community. In view of its importance, the article on FDI and economic development measures and analyses the determinants and patterns of inward FDI from a global perspective. The paper evolves a set of six composite indices and establishes certain basic principles of FDI theory in terms of efficiency-seeking FDI, resource-seeking FDI and market-seeking FDI. Another paper looks at the interesting question of whether institutional integration leads to economic integration, using the case study of India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreements. Studying the impact of bilateral trade openness and deepening, the author finds that institutional integration has brought about many positive changes in the socio-economic conditions of member countries. Two papers in this issue reflect on the performance and potential of areas related to India's exports. The first paper looks at the Indian handloom industry which is one of the oldest industries and well recognised worldwide. Known for its product varieties and unmatched craftsmanship, the industry is facing a number of challenges today. This paper reviews the export performance of the sector and the supporting institutional framework. It also examines marketing efficacy of the sector empirically and suggests export marketing strategies to the firms engaged in export of handloom goods. The second paper reviews the current state and performance of Special economic Zones (SEZs) in India. Over a period of time, SEZs have witnessed generation of employment, investments and exports. The paper highlights issues of SEZs and their expectations with regard to the formulation and modification of policies. High operational cost, fall in market demand, global slowdown, lack of skilled manpower are some reasons held accountable for slack growth of SEZs in India. A robust policy design and efficient implementation can lead to the effective functioning of the SEZs which is an important mechanism for promoting trade and investment, along with generation of employment.
Sustainability makes Business Sense: Analysis of Carbon Credit Market and Environmental Index Greenex
Authors: Arora Neha
Published: December 2015

Global Warming is one of the most severe problems the world is facing today. This has resulted due to emissions of Carbon dioxide and Green House Gases (GHGs) from various anthropogenic activities. India is faced with the challenge of sustaining its rapid economic growth while dealing with the adverse consequences of climate change. Serious efforts are required to address the high carbon growth trajectory and mitigate the climate change risks. Indian Corporate sector is the major contributor to the Indian economy. However, these industries generate pollution because of outdated technologies, high waste generation and other economic factors. Leading Sectors such as cement, sugar, paper, iron and steel, power contribute more to the carbon emissions as compared to the IT and Banking sector. Therefore, the corporate sector should integrate sustainability into their business goals to mitigate the risks of climate change. They should invest in clean and renewable energy, adopt sustainable and energy efficient practices which would in return help them to generate revenue from sale of credits and get screened by their carbon performance to the Environmental Index Greenex.
Demand and Targeting of Kisan Credit Card Scheme in India
Authors: Pandey Manoj K.
Published: December 2015

While overall economic growth in India has seen an accelerating pace in recent times, a slow agricultural growth has been recorded. Based on household level data from India Human Development Survey 2005 (IHDS), this paper provides systematic evidence on the demand for Kisan (Farmer) Credit Card Scheme (KCCS)-a scheme launched by government of India in 1998-99 to facilitate agricultural credit to farmers. Further, the paper attempts to examine the targeting accuracy of the scheme and model participation of rural households in KCCS. Based on our analysis, the paper recommends that better household targeting and implementation of land reform policies, investment in advocacy campaigns, periodic information drives, improvement in rural infrastructure and better monitoring are some of the major policy imperatives.
Factors affecting the Use of E-Newspapers amongst Indian MBA Students
Authors: Shukre Anagha
Published: December 2015

With the impact of globalisation and upsurge in technology, almost every other industry type is finding its way to go online through its products, delivery processes or by identifying better ways to reach the consumers. The print media has found its own presence on the web by making newspapers available online. The present study attempts to identify factors affecting the students’ attitudes towards online newspapers. Using factor analysis, the study finds that the important factors driving the growth of e-newspapers include versatility, improvements over print media, abundant knowledge, accessibility and the media being environment-friendly. At the same time, the most important factor which hinders the usage of e-newspaper is the accessibility of internet.
Environmental Degradation, Sustainable Development and Human Well-being: Evidence from India
Authors: Thakur Barun Kumar , Rout Himanshu Sekhar , Chakraborty Tamali
Published: December 2015

Environmental problems are multidisciplinary in nature. Some problems are global and regional while some are local. This paper is an attempt to study the local environmental problems in India and establish their linkage with environmental degradation and human well-being. It also lists India's major environmental problems and suggests changes in policies for sustainable development in India. The paper particularly focuses on water and water contamination related water-borne diseases which affect human well-being and other health aspects. Due to such hindrances, India is finding it hard to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of environmental sustainability.
Forecasting of Rice Production in North-East states of India
Authors: Dutta Kanchan
Published: December 2015

Rice is one of the most important food crops of India in terms of area, production and consumer preference. India is the second largest producer and consumer of rice in the world. Trends in global rice consumption largely follow those in global production, rising steadily over the last few decades. However population growth has outpaced growth in rice production, such that per capita production, and thus per capita consumption is declining. For future planning, it is therefore necessary to evaluate the growth pattern of rice production. An attempt has been taken in this paper to forecast (through Box-Jenkins technique) the production of rice in North-East states of India. The study finds that the respective models for best forecasting of Rice production are ARIMA (1,1,0) for Assam, ARIMA (1,0,1) for Arunachal Pradesh, ARIMA (1,1,2) for Nagaland, and ARIMA(1,0,0) for Sikkim. This study also finds that Forecasting for Mizoram is not possible under the present methodology since the data series is non-stationary and they are not becoming stationary even after second difference. Similarly forecasting of rice production of Tripura and Meghalaya is also not viable. The data series are I(1), but in the first differenced series there is no significant spike in ACFs, indicating that the first differenced series are white noise. Moreover forecasting indicates possibility of a decline in rice production in most of the states in North East India.
Human Brand Positioning: Success Mantras for Politics
Authors: Gautam Harish
Published: December 2015

Success in politics is not merely the outcome of policy matters; rather it is the sum total of brand positioning and marketing strategies of the political leaders. If one focuses on the acts of successful leaders in South Africa, USA, UK or even Punjab; one can clearly see the presence of branding and marketing tactics, which can be natural in some cases and professionally managed in others. This paper focuses on exploring the major factors behind human brand formation of political leaders; and suggesting the techniques of making human brand a success. Based on review of related literature and analysis of the primary data, the study brings out important factors that can lead to the success of political leaders.
Corporate Social Responsibility in the context of Female Foeticide and Infanticide in Rajasthan
Authors: Thakur Deepika , Sharma Anukrati
Published: December 2015

In today’s world, the success and recognition of a business has come to be associated with the way it carries out its corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR is gaining popularity these days because of various reasons: to promote various brands of the company, social welfare, to uplift the reputation of a company, to comply with legal obligations and so on. There are many ways by which the companies can conduct their CSR activities to help the society in large. In recent times, CSR has become an important factor to boost the goodwill of a company as well as indirectly increase the sales of the company’s product. The present paper is an attempt to find out the purpose and benefits of using CSR in creating awareness and strategies to help stop the crime of female foeticide and infanticide in the state of Rajasthan. The paper also focuses on some major steps which have been taken in this direction by the companies. The paper highlights a new model which can be adopted by companies in the context of ‘save girl child’ campaigns.
Indian Higher Education under GATS and Globalisation
Authors: Gupte Medha J.
Published: December 2015

The opening of the Indian economy in 1991 and the subsequent signing of the GATS Accord in 1994, gave a new flavour to education in general and higher education in particular. This has led to commodification of higher education with the emergence of private providers, both Indian and foreign, having profit maximisation as their main objective. This paper looks at the evolution of higher education system in India and the implications of GATS Accord and globalisation for this system. While India has witnessed a sizeable growth in education, it has not been accompanied by improvement in quality. A number of problems still plague our system of higher education. There is an urgent need for monitoring the providers of higher education to avoid further damage to the education sector.
Capability Building in the Indian Automobile Industry: A Study of Maruti Suzuki India Limited
Authors: Dua Pritika
Published: December 2015

In the era of global competition, firms, in general, should develop innovative capabilities for their survival and growth. Firms rely either on their internal technological capabilities or their external linkages as the sources of innovation. With the pace of technology development, access to knowledge and resources from outside the firm is becoming increasingly important .The study analyses the capability building as seen in expenditure on ‘Research and Development’ in the leading auto manufacturer in India, Maruti Suzuki-a joint venture between the Indian government and Suzuki Motors Corporation, Japan. The analysis shows that the Maruti Suzuki has integrated and built internal and external competences to address the rapidly changing environment and has consolidated its position as the top automobile manufacturer with the right blend of capacity building activities.
Is Microfinance the Panacea for Development? Lessons from the Developing World
Authors: Kumar S Krishna , Deb Ashis Taru
Published: December 2015

In the contemporary world economy characterised by in-egalitarian tendencies, this paper tries to critically look at the transformations in the sphere of development finance. It tries to develop a critique against the nature of deregulation in the microfinance sector. It argues that there could be no substitute for state intervention in the macro economy towards the provision of public goods like education and health. At best, microfinance could play a supplementary role, and never the role of a substitute.
Accounting for Business Combinations: Contrasting IFRS 3 Converged IND AS 103 with AS 14
Authors: Chakraborty Tanupa
Published: December 2015

Business combinations have become the most preferred route for business houses to achieve growth at a faster pace, given today’s intensely competitive global business environment. In regard to accounting for business combinations, the paper aims to compare and contrast the provisions of old Accounting Standard (AS) 14 on ‘Accounting for Amalgamations’ issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) in 1995 with that of new International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 3 converged Indian Accounting Standard (Ind AS) 103 on ‘Business Combinations’ issued by ICAI and notified as ‘standards’ by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) in 2011. The paper showcases extensive coverage in Ind AS 103 vis-à-vis AS 14 not only in respect of accounting method, valuation of assets and liabilities, nature of consideration, measurement of non-controlling interest, treatment of goodwill / capital reserve or bargain purchase to mention a few, but also in its reference to various types of business combinations, including that of reverse acquisitions and business combinations under common control.
Evolution of India’s Foreign Exchange Market
Authors: Bhasin Niti
Published: December 2015

India’s foreign exchange policy after Independence has evolved in tandem with international developments and domestic requirements. The post-reforms period has been marked by wide-ranging measures to widen and deepen the market, besides exchange rate liberalisation. The momentous developments over the past few years are reflected in the enhanced risk-bearing capacity of banks along with rising foreign exchange trading volumes and finer margins. The foreign exchange market has acquired depth. With the economy moving towards fuller capital account convertibility in a calibrated manner, focused regulation and monitoring of the foreign exchange market assumes added importance. In this context, there is a need to strengthen infrastructure, transparency and disclosure, and product range in the foreign exchange derivative markets.
Financial Inclusion for Growth with Equity: A Case Study of Bank of India
Authors: Samal Gouri Prava , Swain Anil Kumar
Published: December 2015

Financial inclusion promotes thrift and develops a culture of saving and also enables efficient payment mechanism strengthening the resource base of the financial institution. This benefits the economy as resources become available for efficient payment mechanism and allocation. The whole process of financial inclusion will not be possible without the contribution of banks. Banks are the key pillars of India’s financial system. Public have immense faith in banks. Banks enjoy considerable goodwill and access in the rural regions. Lending to agricultural activities and small scale industry is in the priority sector for lending of the commercial banks. The theme of the paper is to understand the inter-relationship between financial inclusion and its overall contribution to inclusive growth and the role of banks to encompass all those financially excluded into the folds of inclusive class. The study is further extended by covering the contribution of Bank of India in achieving financial inclusion and inclusive growth in Odisha.
FDI and Economic Growth: An Empirical Investigation of India and Bangladesh
Authors: Sethi Narayan , Sucharita Sanhita
Published: December 2015

This study examines the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth in Bangladesh and India. The study also identifies the motivating factors and problems of FDI inflows in Bangladesh and India. We employ bivariate regression, ordinary least squares (OLS), and Granger causality estimation to examine the effect of FDI on GDP growth in Bangladesh and India using data for the period 1974-2014. The bivariate regression results find that FDI is positively correlated with GDP growth and have positive effect on economic growth for both countries. The regression results indicate that FDI is positively correlated to the economic growth of Bangladesh but it has not yet been established as a significant determining factor for the economic growth. On the other hand, the result indicates that FDI is negatively correlated to the economic growth in India and it has not yet been established as a significant determining factor for the economic growth. It cannot be said that FDI has a positive or negative impact on economic growth both the countries. We conclude that the effect of FDI on economic growth is ambiguous for both India and Bangladesh.
Competitive Investorism: Governance of Market Infrastructure Institutions and their Social Responsibility
Authors: Murthy K. V. Bhanu
Published: December 2015

There has been an on-going debate over the Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs): their number and growth, as well as, the need for regulation and governance of MIIs, including stock exchanges (Lee (2010)). This paper raises a set of questions: (i) What is the economic understanding of governance of MIIs?, (ii) What is its role in developing competitive financial markets?, and (iii) What are the implications for investors? The Bimal Jalan Committee (2010) for the reform of MIIs fails to recognise the real issues in bringing about stock market reforms. It ignores the need for competition and dynamics amongst the MIIs. Apart from such a need, there is the larger interest that stock markets should serve: that of investors. A necessary condition for ‘competitive investorism’ to happen is the establishment of new Market Infrastructure Institutions, especially stock exchanges that are for-profit and are cross-listed. Cross-listing brings market discipline and may go beyond regulatory control by doing well for stock markets and investors alike. It makes stock markets competitive and efficient and passes on these benefits to the investors.
An Empirical Study on the Performance of Select Large Cap Equity Mutual Funds in India
Authors: Das Samyabrata
Published: December 2015

Since the opening up of the economy in the early 1990s, Indian mutual fund industry has witnessed fabulous quantitative growth. Funds which invest a larger proportion of their corpus in companies with large market capitalization are called large cap funds. Actively managed funds make use of a human element, such as a single manager, comanagers or a team of managers, to actively manage a fund's portfolio. The main objective of the study is to analyse the performance of select actively managed large cap equity funds in the line of risk-return parameters. This study is based on fourteen funds from twelve Asset Management Companies. All the funds are ranked under seven performance measures, namely, fund return, fund standard deviation, Sharpe Ratio, Treynor Ratio, return from systematic investment plan (SIP), Jensen Alpha, and RSQ, for five different time periods of 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 7-year, and 10-year.
Institutional Development and Trade Development: A Case Study of India-ASEAN Bilateral Trade
Authors: Singh Mayengbam Lalit
Published: December 2015

Early literatures show the importance of institutions with reference to European countries, where Renaissance age led the Western European countries to industrial revolution and hence intercontinental trade. At present, institutions in a country are the foundation on which all economic activity is built. The present paper deals with how institutional developments (for countries in this study) over time could lead to development of bilateral trade between India and ASEAN.
Determinants of Saving and Investment Behaviour of Tea Plantation Workers: An Empirical Analysis of Four Tea Gardens of Udalguri District (Assam)
Authors: Bosumatari Dipali
Published: December 2015

The main objective of this paper is to examine the main determinants of saving and investment behaviour of tea plantation workers in Assam based on a microeconomic approach. Four tea gardens have been selected for the purpose of data collection. These gardens are Bhooteachang Tea Estate, Hattigor Tea Estate, Brotherhood Tea Growing firm and Jwnglari Tea Farm. Two separate multiple linear regression models were fitted for saving and investment. The paper found that there is propensity to save and invest among the tea planation workers in spite of low income. The workers in the sample save their income mainly in SBI, LIC, and other banks and invest in children’s education and other income generating activities like rearing livestock, buying cultivated land, etc. Further, it is found that income level, education status, occupation have positive influence on saving, while the number of dependents exerts a negative influence on saving. The factors that drive household investment are occupation, income and assets.
Gender Responsive Budgets in India
Authors: Patel Vibhuti
Published: December 2015

Budget is an important tool in the hands of state for affirmative action for improvement of gender relations through reduction of gender gap in the development process. It can help to reduce economic inequalities as well as gender inequalities. Hence, the budgetary policies need to keep into consideration the gender dynamics operating in the economy and in the civil society. There is a need to highlight participatory approaches, bottom up budget, child budget, green budgeting, local and global implications of pro-poor and pro-women budgeting and inter-linkages between gender-sensitive budgeting and women’s empowerment. It is good economic sense to make national budgets gender-sensitive, as this will enable more effective targeting of government expenditure to women specific activities and reduce inequitable consequences of previous fiscal policies. The Gender Budget Initiative is a policy framework, methodology and set of tools to assist governments to integrate a gender perspective into the budget as the main national plan of public expenditure. It also aims to facilitate attention to gender analysis in review of macroeconomic performance, ministerial budget preparations, parliamentary debate and mainstream media coverage. Budget impacts women’s lives in several ways. It directly promotes women’s development through allocation of budgetary funds for women’s programmes or reduces opportunities for empowerment of women through budgetary cuts.
Growth Decomposition of Indian Economy, 1981-2007
Authors: Navin Nitin
Published: December 2015

The present paper attempts to evaluate the economic performance of India for the period of 1981-2007, using the conventional growth accounting technique, also known as “Solow growth model”. In particular, it examines the relative contributions of factor accumulation and productivity growth in the economic growth of the economy. The main objective is to check if the growth is sustainable. Also, an attempt is made to find the proximate explanation of any major ups and downs that happened in the economy during this period. The paper concludes by arguing that the recent spectacular performance of the Indian economy is mainly fuelled by improvement in TFP.
Privatisation and Growth of Insurance Industry in India
Authors: Ashraf S Husain , Faiz Abdullah
Published: December 2015

India initiated its insurance sector reforms in 2000 as an inevitable part of the on-going economic reforms in the country. This long awaited reform was expected to boost the sector. The Insurance reform was marked with the establishment of IRDA, participation of private companies and permission of FDI, and soon it emerged as one of the most vibrant segment of Indian financial sector. India’s insurance sector witnessed many changes and experienced high growth after the privatisation. As the privatised insurance industry has completed more than a decade now and the sector is evolving with the progression of further reform, a close scrutiny of the sector is needed. This paper tries to narrate the story of the development and growth of the insurance sector during the first decade after the privatisation of the sector.
Socio-economic Status of Scheduled Tribes in Andhra Pradesh: A Study of Solabham Panchayat of Visakhapatnam District
Authors: Rao D. Pulla
Published: December 2015

The Constitution of India seeks to secure for all its citizens, among other things, social and economic justice, equality of status and opportunity and the dignity of the individual. Several provisions have been incorporated in the constitution for safeguarding and promoting the interests of the Scheduled Tribes in various spheres so as to enable them to the join the national mainstream. The areas of tribal concentration have been generally described as the forest and hilly areas of the country. This paper analyses the socio-economic status of Scheduled Tribes in the study area. In the sample, majority of the households are the tribes of Bhagatha. We find that cultivation is the primary occupation of all the sample households. About 51 percent of the households are earning up to Rs.20,000. Still 21 per cent of households are not having any land and about 74 per cent of sample households are having the land 1-2 acres. Most of the households are spending more amount on food items. About 58 per cent of the households are indebted in the range of Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 and 67 per cent depends on money lenders for their credit source. About 96 percent of the households expressed that they are not getting sufficient income for livelihood. The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) and the Girijan Cooperative Corporation are the two main institutions slated for the development of scheduled tribes. So, it is imperative to make the functioning of the ITDA / GCC more people oriented by adopting participatory approach.
Inclusive Growth for Social Justice: An Imperative for India’s Development Efforts
Authors: Bhasin Niti
Published: December 2015

Inclusive growth is the new paradigm that is related essentially to equality and opportunity to all for achieving a productive and meaningful life with freedom, equality and dignity. There is a lot of talk on growth with equity but it has not been dovetailed with the development effort. An immediate plan for achieving equitable development is needed and the challenge before the Government is to evolve a system in which reforms and globalisation can proceed on one track, and the poor can be protected from the ill effects of it, on the other. Local communities and markets should be reinforced to take advantage of finance, trade and investment changes flowing from the national and global levels. Investing to improve productivity in agriculture is essential for sustainable poverty reduction. In essence, therefore, there has to successful localisation first to reap the benefits of globalisation.
Poverty Line: A Definitional Progress in India
Authors: Kakar Deepti
Published: December 2015

The origin of poverty in India lies in the historical origin of the country itself. However, defining poverty to entail its measurement and removal is of recent origins – the first attempt being made in late nineteenth century. With the passage of time, better understanding of the multi-dimensional nature of poverty occurred. In this paper, the authors attempt to track the evolution of the definition of poverty in India. These include the official changes that have taken place from time to time as well as some independent suggestions made by eminent researchers of the field which have received critical acclaim within the think-tank of poverty researchers. The definition of poverty or poverty line has been trailed chronologically beginning in the British era in pre-Independent India to the latest on poverty line officially. The exploration by the authors reveals that in India poverty had been traditionally looked at as insufficiency to attain subsistence and all the attempts at poverty line definitions were anchored to the Food Energy Intake method. More recently, the recommendations by the Tendulkar Committee and Rangarajan Expert Group include a shift away from the calorie norms to the cost of basic needs method which looks at basic requirements of food and non-food items. Along with the recommendation of various expert groups that defined poverty line (official) for India, the contentions raised by fraternity are also discussed.
Tax System in India-Evolution and Present Structure
Authors: Nainwal Ms. Neha
Published: December 2015

Main findings of the book The Indian tax system has undergone major structural changes since Independence in 1947. It has become comprehensive and complicated over the years. It has successfully mobilised resources to finance developmental, welfare and administrative activities of public authorities. Besides being the main source of revenue, both for the Central and State Governments, it is an effective instrument to realise various socio-economic objectives of national policies. However, the tax system has been relying heavily on indirect taxes and suffering extensively from fiscal malady called tax evasion. Restructuring of the tax system has constituted a major component of fiscal reforms initiated since 1991. The main focus of the tax reforms has been on simplification and rationalization of both direct and indirect taxes with the objective of augmenting revenues and removing anomalies in the tax structure. Tax reforms in recent years have brought the tax system much closer to international tax practices. Tax reforms are a part of the package to liberalise and globalise the Indian economy. The post-1991 period has witnessed a sharp decline in the rates of income tax, excise duty and customs tariff. The theory that high rates of duty lead to higher revenue collection has been discarded in favour of lower rates with fewer exemptions and concessions. The strategy in respect of direct taxation is to minimise distortions in tax structure by expanding the tax base and moderating tax rates on the one hand and improving the efficiency of tax administration and increasing the deterrence level on the other, so as to encourage voluntary compliance. The strategy in respect of indirect taxes is to move towards a fully integrated goods and services tax (GST).
Black Money and Tax Evasion in India
Authors: Sury M. M.
Published: December 2015

Of late, the issue of corruption and black money has come in the forefront after a series of financial scandals. Generation of black money and its stashing abroad in tax havens and offshore financial centers have dominated discussions and debate in public fora during the recent past. Members of Parliament, the Supreme Court of India and the public at large have unequivocally expressed concern on the issue, particularly after some reports suggested estimates of such unaccounted wealth being held abroad. After uproar in Parliament, Government of India came out with a White Paper on Black Money in May 2012. The White Paper presented the different facets of black money and its complex relationship with policy and administrative regime in the country. It also reflected upon the policy options and strategies that the Government had been pursuing in the context of recent initiatives, or need to take up in the near future, to address the issue of black money and corruption in public life. The objective of this paper is to explain various facets and dimensions of black money and tax evasion and their complex relationship with the policy and administrative regime in India. It describes the factors which lead to the generation of black money, and records various estimates of black money and tax evasion. It also presents the measures/strategies that the Government of India has been pursuing to tackle this issue, especially recent initiatives and developments.
Indian Law on Double Tax Relief
Authors: Jain Sandeep
Published: December 2015

International double taxation occurs when a taxpayer is resident in one country but has a source of income from another country and tax is imposed by both the countries on the same income. Thus, international double taxation arises due to overlapping of two tax claims of two or more countries. In most cases, individuals work in countries where they live and companies invest and operate in countries in which they are resident. However, world economies are becoming increasingly international and flow of labour, technology and capital from one country to another is common. Multinationals operate in a number of countries, and individual investors possess internationally diversified investment portfolios. Thus, companies and individuals receive foreign income in the form of profits, dividends, management and professional fees and royalties. When a person undertakes cross-border activities or maintains connections in two or more countries, he is likely to encounter the tax laws of another country. That encounter influences the way in which the person is taxed in his home country. This is how the tax systems of different countries get linked with each other. This paper explains and examines the Indian law on double tax relief.
Customs Duties in India: Progressive Rationalisation and Rethinking
Authors: Murthy K V Bhanu
Published: December 2015

Customs duties are imposed to raise revenue for the government. Apart from the revenue function, import duties provide a protective barrier for domestic industries. Radical reforms have been introduced in the import tariff since 1991. These reforms were necessary because the customs tariff had become, over the years, very complicated in terms of multiple rates, innumerable exemptions, excessive controls, and elaborate procedures. These infirmities of the customs tariff often led to delays, harassment, corruption, and litigation. Moreover, rationalisation and simplification of the customs duties was needed to move towards a market economy, freedom of trade, and opening up the Indian economy to the outside world. The country has moved towards moderate rates of taxation with a view to improve compliance and reduce litigation.
Centre-State Financial Relations: The Federal Aspects of Indian Taxation
Authors: M. Umesh
Published: December 2015

Though the Constitution creates a dual polity based on division of governmental powers, this division is not watertight. Recognising the fact that the financial resources of the States may prove inadequate for undertaking development activities, the framers of India's Constitution have made elaborate arrangements relating to flow of funds from the Centre to the States. One of the most important ways of effecting this transfer is through the Finance Commission. This paper focuses on the recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC) which are likely to have major implications for Center-State relations, for budgeting by, and the fiscal situation of, the Centre and the States. The FFC has made far-reaching changes in tax devolution that will move the country toward greater fiscal federalism, conferring more fiscal autonomy on the states.
THE SELECTION OF BUILDING MATERIALS TO IMPROVE THE COMFORT AND ECOLOGICAL SAFETY OF CITY HOUSING
Authors: ZHIGULINA Anna Yur'evna , CHUMACHENKO Natalya Genrikhovna
Published: December 2015

The article is devoted to problems of creation of comfortable microclimate. Identifi es sources of pollution, completed their evaluation. Special att ention is paid to the selection of environmentally friendly building materials. In the production of building materials where toxic components can be industrial waste, replacing natural raw materials and chemical additives regulating the properties. In the operation of many building materials, especially those based on polymers, it is necessary to control the release of toxic substances resulting from degradation. For the assessment of comfort and environmental safety of housing is offered to create «Passports of residential buildings», which should be provided with information about construction materials used to evaluate this parameter, environmental home safety, including chemical safety as its component.