The performance of commercial banks in financing agriculture during the post-nationalisation period exhibited signs of large scale improvement in agriculture in the plain areas but this was no so in the hilly and drought-prone areas of the country. The present book is an attempt to study indepthly the role of commercial banks in promoting agricultural development in hilly and drought-prone areas. Accordingly the book makes an attempt to answer the following questions emerging out of the study: (a) Whether the present cropping pattern is adequate and what changes in the cropping pattern can be effected for the development of agriculture in such hitherto neglected area?, (b) Is the demand for credit by farmers, as distinguished from non-borrowers met by commercial banks?, (c) Have the farmers utilized the credit for the purposes for which they had been issued loans, (d) Did the farmers repay the loans taken from banks fully and timely, (e) What are the bottlenecks that affected the role of banks and the performance by the farmers handling agricultural credit; (f) What special measures are needed to improve the involvement of banks in the hitherto neglected hilly and drought-prone areas. The work is original and makes a pioneering effort to solve some of the vexed problems which had lingered in the minds of the scholars for a long line. The book is very useful to bankers, policy makers, statesmen, teachers of universities and researchers. In view of this, the study may be considered as a valuable addition to the existing stock of literature on the subject.

Hunger is a symptom of poverty. If poverty is rooted out, the systemic cause of hunger ca be rooted out. This book is an outcome of a project 'Freedom from Hunger' launched for the first time by the Government of Orissa with the following aims: conceptualization and identification of people who are hungry, measures adopted by the state government for removing poverty and hunger under Five Year Plans, identification of critical gaps and missing links in the governmental measures targeted for removing hunger and poverty, locating catalysts of growth or growth including agents and measures to improve them, allocation of funds in growth inducing sectors and prioritisation of such investment in each sector etc. After discussing the key issues of hunger and approaches to reduce hunger and poverty at the macro level, the present book with the above objectives tries to address the main issues: whether public intervention has helped in eradicating poverty or poor remain hungry amidst different poverty alleviation programmes. The book has identified critical gaps and missing links of the existing programmes and suggested policy prescriptions for a hunger free India.

The present book would be of great use to the students, teachers, and researchers in economics, particularly those specializing in poverty, and to the policy makers as well as those interested in rural poverty.

Globalisation, Economic Growth and Human Development broadly covers three distinct and vital areas, although very closely interrelated to each other, such as; Globalisation, Economic Growth and Human Development. The book is a product of the present time and deals with issues, which are pertinent to the existing economic scenario of the country. The learned papers included in the volume are from celebrated economists of the country who have made distinct contributions in their respective areas. The present book claims superiority over other books incorporating similar themes on several grounds. First, the book does not contain the discussions on traditional lines. Each of the themes have been discussed both on theoretical and analytical angles having practicability in the present economic context of the country. Secondly, each of the authors have suggested a concretized policy framework for implementation to overcome the pitfalls of Indian economy have raised several other issues demanding further probe into the working of the economy. In this sense, the present volume is a timely one and a valuable addition to the existing stock of knowledge in economic literature relating to Development Economics, which has received sincere attention recently.

Though a Commemorative Volume, yet issues touched in the book have wider ramifications. Though this book is a harmonious blend of the objectives of Indian planning and contours of development yet it has given a new dimension and shape to the recent thinking on the subject.

Artisans constitute a heterogeneous group consisting of handcrafts, handlooms, pottery, pattachitra etc. Presently there is a blend of traditional touch with modern outlook in the works of these artisans. On account of this the products of artisans sector is in great demand both in national and international markets. Of all the problems confronted by the artisans financial problem is the most crucial one. In order to solve this problem a number of financial institutions providing short term loan and long term loan have come into existence in recent years, such as: Commercial Banks, Cooperative Banks, Regional Rural Banks, SFCs and IDBI etc. The present volume not only deals indepthly the working of these institutions but seeks to analyse the impact of institutional credit on generation of output income employment and asset formation by the artisans belonging to different trades. The impact of institutional finance is marginal no doubt but it has provided the basic foundation for the growth of artisan sector at the national and sub-national level.

The work is a scholarly one, comprising both secondary and empirical data and materials. The policy prescriptions are based on field level observations 'if implemented in right earnest' will give a boost to artisan sector in the country. The book will be of immense help to academicians, researchers, planners, administrators, policy makers, entrepreneurs and general public who are interested about the artisans and their units.