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

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Following the Government’s Urban Footsteps

Will the inauguration of the Interim Government Complex in the new capital villages of Andhra Pradesh spur newer, better forms of urban growth? Our sixth photo essay from the transforming land of Amravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Is Agriculture Back?

Some people may be waiting with bated breath for Amravati, Andhra Pradesh's new capital but several locals are finding newer ways to earn their livelihood in this transitional period. Our fifth photo essay from the ground of the new Andhra capital. 

Speculation and the New City

The formal foundation ceremony of Amaravati, the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh, has drawn the attention of villagers and landowners who want to give up land. Will it live up to the hype or will it fall prey to unsustainable speculation—this photo essay from the ground has some answers. The other parts of this photo essay on the Andhra Pradesh capital development is here, here and here

Foundation for the Dreams

In six months, the new capital region in Andhra Pradesh seems to have picked up a frenetic pace in infrastructure development. While speculation over land seems to have ebbed, the changing pattern of life based on the financial promises of an industrial–administrative complex is visible. This is the third instalment in a series of photo essays on Andhra Pradesh’s new capital region. The other two essays are here and here

Village as 'Class' and City as 'Mass'

Villagers explain why they call the “new capital” areas of Andhra Pradesh “class” while older cities like Vijayawada and Guntur are “mass”. The second in a series of photo essays documenting change in the peripheries of Vijayawada, slowly transforming into the Andhra Pradesh state capital. For the first photo essay in the series, click here.  

Sleepy Backwaters to Real Estate Haven

A series of photo essays will document the change in the peripheries of Vijayawada, slowly transforming into the Andhra Pradesh state capital. This is the first one in the series. 

Sleepy Backwaters to Real Estate Haven

A series of photo essays will document the change in the peripheries of Vijayawada, slowly transforming into the Andhra Pradesh state capital. This is the first one in the series. 

The Real Estate of Bifurcation

The bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh has an unintended beneficiary, the author finds, in real estate brokers and speculative investors. The promise of capital formation in Vijayawada and connivance of politician-builder lobby have only added wings to the massive speculation of land and property prices in Seemandhra. 

A Critical Look at the Expansion of Banking Services through the Business Correspondent Model

Examining the role of business correspondents in the expansion of banking services in Chittoor, Kurnool and Mahabubnagar districts of Andhra Pradesh, this paper attempts to shed light on what has been accomplished through the business correspondent model. Based on observations in the field, the findings are not readily extendable to all of India, though they make it possible to point to some policy suggestions. A major proposition is that individual business correspondents can be more effective than the other types of business correspondents in expanding financial inclusion through the business correspondent model, at least in Andhra Pradesh.

Challenges to Financial Inclusion in India

Focusing on the institutional challenges to financial inclusion in Andhra Pradesh, this paper argues that it is the inability of formal financial institutions to meet the specific needs of the poor that has enabled informal service providers to fill the vacuum. Without a paradigm shift, especially on the part of banks, financial inclusion is bound to fall short of expectations. It proposes that the banking sector should look at efforts to expand inclusion not as a capital cost or as a charitable expense, but as a long-term investment in the future. The soundness of such an investment is borne out in the success of individual business correspondents in some districts of the state.

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