Contents :

PART I - ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1. Economic Growth, Development and Underdevelopment
2. Economic and Human Development
3. The Environment and Development
PART II - STRUCTURE OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY
4. Colonialism and Underdevelopment of the Indian Economy
5. Nature of the Indian Economy
6. Natural Resources
7. Infrastructure
8. The Population Growth and Economic Development
9. Some Demographic Issues
10. Human Resource Development
11. Labour Force Growth and Occupational Pattern
12. Employment and Unemployment in India
13. Capital Formation in India
14. National Income of India: Macroeconomic Overview
15. Poverty in India
16. Income Distribution in India
PART III - BASIC ISSUES IN AGRICULTURE
17. Indian Agriculture: Role, Nature and Cropping Pattern
18. Issues in Indian Agricultural Policy and Rural Development
19. Agricultural Production and Productivity Trends
20. Land Reforms
21. Agricultural Inputs and Green Revolution
22. Agricultural Finance and Marketing
23. Agricultural Prices and Agricultural Price Policy
24. Agricultural Subsidies and Food Security in India
25. Agricultural Labour
PART IV - THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR AND SERVICES IN INDIAN ECONOMY
26. Industrial Development During the Planning Period
27. Some Major Industries of India
28. Small-Scale and Cottage Industries
29. Industrial Policy
30. Public Sector in the Indian Economy
31. Privatisation of Public Sector Enterprises: The Disinvestment Programme in India
32. Private Sector in the Indian Economy
33. Industrial Sickness in India
34. Labour Relations, Social Security and Exit Policy
35. Services Sector in Indian Economy
PART V - FOREIGN TRADE AND FOREIGN CAPITAL
36. India`s Foreign Trade: Value, Composition and Direction
37. India`s Balance of Payments
38. Trade Policy of the Government of India
39. Foreign Capital and Aid
40. India`s Exchange Rate Policy, Foreign Exchange Reserves and Capital Account Convertibility
41. Multinational Corporations, FERA and FEMA
42. Globalisation and its Impact on the Indian Economy
43. WTO and India
PART VI - MONEY AND BANKING
44. Price Trends and Inflation
45. Indian Money Market
46. Commercial Banking in India
47. The Reserve Bank of India
48. Capital Market in India
49. Institutional Financing
PART VII - PUBLIC FINANCE
50. The Indian Tax Structure
51. Public Expenditure in India : Trends and Issues
52. Public Debt in India
53. India`s Fiscal Policy
54. Federal Finance in India - Centre-State Financial Relations
PART VIII - ECONOMIC PLANNING AND POLICY
55. Economic Planning - Rationale, Features and Objectives
56. The Strategy of Planning
57. Resource Allocation - Investment Pattern in Indian Plans
58. Financing of Five Year Plans
59. Regional Planning in India
60. Black Economy in India
61. Assessment of Indian Planning
62. Economic Reforms and Liberalisation
63. Twelfth Five Year Plan

The CSO has recently released a new series of national accounts with base year 2011-12. This series presents a considerably improved performance of the economy during the years 2012-13 and 2013-14 vis-a-vis the earlier series with base year 2004-05. However, many economists have criticised the methodology by the CSO in arriving at the new estimates while some others have argued that the overall macroeconomic overview of the economy during these years does not justify the optismistic results arrived at by the CSO. In any case, the new series gives data for only three years and thus cannot be used for a comparative long-run study over a period of time. Till such series becomes available, one has no option but to continue to use the series with base year 2004-05. This is what we do in the present edition although results based on the new series are also presented at relevant places.

As in the case of the earlier editions, in this edition also we critically analyse the performance of the Indian economy over the years, discuss the problems confronting the different sectors, and carry out a threadbare evaluation of the different programmes being undertaken by the government in considerable detail. We also examine the challenges and opportunities facing the Indian economy in the new emerging global environment. The organisation, structure and contents for the present edition are as follows :

Part I of the book 'Economic Development: A Theoretical Background' is divided into three chapters. It discusses the concepts of economic growth and development, common characteristics of underdeveloped countries, the role of economic and non-economic factors in economic development, the concept of human development, human development index, gender inequality index, multidemensional poverty index, etc., and issues concerning the relationship between environment and development.

Part II discusses the 'Structure of the Indian Economy' and consists of thirteen chapters. It is devoted to the discussion of various issues relating to the nature of the Indian economy including the natural resources and ecological issues, infrastructural development, population problem, poverty and unemployment, income growth and inequalities, etc.

Part III of the book 'Basic Issues in Agriculture' consists of nine chapters. It starts with a discussion of the role, nature and cropping pattern of Indian agriculture and then takes up for discussion the issues in Indian agricultural policy (including a review of the new global opportunities and challenges facing Indian agriculture in the wake of the various aggrements concluded under WTO). We then proceed to a discussion of agricultural production and productivity trends, progress and failures in the field of land reform, green revolution and its impact on the rural economy of the country, agricultural finance and marketing, agricultural prices and agricultural price policy, the food security system in India, and agricultural labour.

Part IV on 'The Industrial Sector and Services in Indian Economy' consists of ten chapters. It starts with a discussion of industrial development during the period of planning and then proceeds to discuss some major industries of India. This is followed by a discussion of small-scale industries, industrial policy, role and performance of public sector enterprises, the issue of privatisation in public sector enterprises, role of private sector in the Indian economy, CSR (corporate social responsibility), the problem of industrial sickness, and various issues relating to industrial labour (including exit policy). The last chapter in this part (Chapter 35) discusses the growth of the services sector and related issues.

Part V of the book concerns 'Foreign Trade and Foreign Capital'. Consisting of eight chapters, it starts with a discussion of the changes in the composition and direction of India's foreign trade, and then proceeds to a discussionof India's balance of payments, trade policy, policy relating to foreign capital, exchange rate and capital account covertibility, MNCs (including a discussion on FERA and FEMA), etc. The last two chapters of this part discuss in detail the opportunities and challenges that the Indian economy faces in the new global environment. We critically examine the overall working of the WTO and also take up for discussion India's new product patent regime.

Part VI on 'Money and Banking' consists of six chapters. It starts with a discussion of the problem of inflation in India and then takes up the discussion of Indian money market, expansion and progress of commercial banking in India, Reserve Bank of India and a critical appraisal of its monetory policy, development of capital market in India and steps taken to strengthen this market in recent years (including steps taken by SEBI) and institutional financing.

Part VII on 'Public Finance' contains five chapters. In this part, we start with discussion of the Indian tax structure. This is followed by a discussion of public expenditure and public debt in India. The chapter on 'India's Fiscal Policy' in addition to discussing the various aspects of fical policy as is being implemented in India, examines the issue of fiscal responsibility in detail. The last chapter of this part focuses on the issues related to federal finance in India. It also discusses the report of the Fourteenth Finance Commission in detail.

Part VIII which is the last part of the book is on 'Economic Planning and Policy'. It contains nine chapters, Starting from a discussion of the retionale, features and objectives of planning, we proceed to discuss the strategy of development as envisaged in the various five year plans. This is followed by a discussion of the financing pattern of India's five year plans, sectrol allocation of resources, regional planning in India, the problem of black money, and assessment of planning in India (including a detailed discussion of the post-economic reform period). The last chapter of the book (Chapter 63) considers the Twelfth Five Year Plan in detail.