ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

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A History of the Times

both in itself as well as against the backdrop of the national movement. After all in hill areas like Kumaun and Garhwal the non- cooperation movement gave an impetus to forest and anti-begar' agitations, agitations with roots of their own.

How Has Indian Economy Fared

Bhabatosh Datta The Indian Economy and Its Performance since Independence edited by R A Choudhury, Shama Gamkhar and Aurobindo Ghosh; Oxford University Press, Delhi, 1990; pp 315, Rs 240.

But Calcutta Is Different

But Calcutta Is Different Bhabatosh Datta Calcutta on the Eve of Her Tercentenary by Asok Mitra; Abhinav Publications,
THE only worthwhile outcome of the crazy year-long 'celebration' of the third centenary of the supposed birth of Calcutta is the publication of a number of first-rate books on the city

Firmly on the Trodden Path

Bhabatosh Datta There is no sign of a break away from the established path in the budget for 1990-91. The people were looking forward to effective progressiveness in taxation, large help to the production of employment-intensive mass consumption goods and control of the inflationary pressures on prices and on real income distribution. The overall expectation was that of a new approach to what is called growth and a perceptible move towards income and wealth equality. These expectations have been disappointed by a government from whom bold steps were expected in all the major directions. Where are the socialists of yester-year?

Rural Development in Many Hues

Rural Development in Many Hues Bhabatosh Datta West Bengal Landscapes by Arun Ghosh; K P Bagchi and Co, Calcutta,
LATE in the autumn of 1983, Arun Ghosh 'landed in Calcutta to take up the task of planning

Budget, 1989-90 Elusive Issues

Bhabatosh Datta The year 1989-90 is the bench-mark year for everything in the Eighth Plan, but there is no awareness of that in the budget for the yean If the old Chinese practice of naming the years after animals or birds were followed in India, the most appropriate (and charitable) name for 1989-90 would be the Year of the Ostrich.

Cost-Benefit of TNCs

JOHN MARTINUSSEN or the Koskilde University Centre, Denmark, made four trips to India between 1977 and 1988 for studying the effect of the regulatory policies of the government of India on the activities of transnational corporations. He prepared a report for restricted circulation in 1986 and the present book is a revised version of that report, The in formation in the text and the tables relate mainly to the severities, but, in some cases, the data have been brought up to 1983-84 and even up to 1986. Practically all the major problems have been examined, the only major exception being that of the transfer prices'. Two of the seven chapters are mainly descriptive. There are an Introduction and a chapter on 'The Host Coun- try's Dilemma' at the beginning. There are then three analytical chapters on the balance of payments aspects, on transfer of resources and on the allocation of resources. A con- eluding chapter summarises the analysis and brings together the findings. There are three factual appendices and also three useful tables (which are additional to some thirty detailed tables in the text).

Indian Economic History A First Course

First Course Bhabatosh Datta An Economic History of India (From Pre-Colonial Times to 1986) by Dietmar Rothermund; Croom Helm. London, 1988; pp 214, price not mentioned.

Beyond the Limits of Economies

Development and Planning by Ignacy Sachs. Translated by Peter Fawcett from "Developper des Champs de Planification" (1984). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, and Fondation de la Maisons des Sciences de L'Homme, Paris, 1987; pp 134, price not stated.

Efficiency of Public Expenditure

THERE has been in all countries an enormous growth in public expenditure over the last few decades. This growth can be measured and then compared both over time in any single country, or over a wide international cross-section. There are however difficulties in properly deflating the money totals and these difficulties are really serious in making international comparisons. But yet these problems are not greater than those involved in any other comparison. M S Levitt and MAS Joyce address themselves ( to the much more difficult task of evaluating the 'efficiency' of growing public expenditure, particularly in the field of 'services'. Four services have been specially chosen

The Budget Lengthening Shadows

The Budget: Lengthening Shadows Bhabatosh Datta If one were to discern a direction which central budgets seem to be taking it would be as follows. Total government expenditure will increase, the non-plan component increasing faster and the non-developmental part increasing faster still Large loans will be taken not for creating productive assets but for revenue expenditure. The overall deficit financed by Reserve Bank credit will increase. If availability of foodgrains and other essentials do not rise at the desired rate, the result will be inflationary pressures. Mounting debt service charges wilt put severe pressure on the balance of payments. The state governments will be hamstrung by shortage of financial resources, after meeting their own debt service charges.

The Great Black Hole

reforms had already been in practice in Hungary) Haug of course could not have visualised the problems that could arise in a socialist economy because of some of these reform measures which cannot but stimulate competition among autonomous units for maximising sales and 'profits'. May not all this bring in vigorous sales promotion, some forms of advertisements and, consequently, 'commodity aesthetics1? Haug, however, holds out an optimistic perspective, "Naturally, new problems arise, for which new or better socialist solutions must still be found". Let us all devoutly hope so! The Great Black Hole Bhabatosh Datta served by a police station is more than 1,00,000. Even a middle-range landowner finds legal redress a lengthy and expensive process and is forced to resort to informal contracts.

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