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NATIONAL COUNCIL OF APPLIED ECONOMIC RESEARCHParisila Bhawan 11 Indraprastha Estate New Delhi 110 002 IndiaT +91 11 2337 9861-63 F +91 11 2337 0164 E infor@ ncaer.org W www.ncaer.org

The NATIONAL COUNCIL OF APPLIED ECONOMIC RESEARCH (NCAER) was formallyinaugurated by the President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, on December 18, 1956. Accordingly,2006–07 saw the commemoration of the Council’s Golden Jubilee. Its creation formed part of abroader effort to strengthen India’s institutional competence in economics. The Council’s originalGoverning Body included leading figures from both public and private sectors: John Mathai, C.D.Deshmukh, T.T. Krishnamachari, V.T. Krishnamachari, Ashoka Mehta, J.R.D. Tata, John F.Sinclair and N.R. Pillai. Initial financial support was provided by the Ford Foundation which hascontinued to support the Council over the years. The first Director-General, P.S. Lokanathan,took over the post after serving the Economic Commission for Asia and Far East as its firstSecretary-General. The Council is an independent institution, run by the Governing Body onbehalf of the General Body to support both the government and the private sector throughempirical socioeconomic research. The bulk of the Council’s revenue comes from studies done oncontract for clients in government, the development community and in the private sector. TheNCAER work programme is currently divided into four broad research areas:

• Growth, trade and economic management

• Investment climate, physical and economic infrastructure

• Agriculture, rural development and resource management

• Household behaviour, poverty, human development, informality and gender

A broad theme that permeates the Council’s current research activities is the progress of India’seconomic reform programme and its impact on agriculture, industry and human development.

The current Director-General, Mr Suman K. Bery, assumed charge on January 1, 2001. Hewas earlier with the World Bank in Washington DC, where he held a number of positions ineconomic analysis and research. Between 1992 and 1994, Mr Bery was based in Mumbai asSpecial Consultant to the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Today, NCAER has links with major policy research institutions and universities outside Indiaincluding the National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, (MA); the BrookingsInstitution, Washington DC; the Centre for Economic and Policy Research, London; theUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MD; Oxford University; and the Institute of AppliedEconomic Analysis (IPEA), Brazil.

For further details please refer to NCAER’s web site:www.ncaer.org

NCAER’s Golden Jubilee:1956–2006

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF APPLIED ECONOMIC RESEARCH


August 2007

Published by

N.J. Sebastian

Secretary and Chief Librarian

National Council of Applied Economic Research

Parisila Bhawan, 11 Indraprastha Estate, New Delhi 110 002

T (91-11) 23379861-3 F (91-11) 23370164

W www.ncaer.org E [email protected]

CONTENTS III

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv

THE INSTITUTIONTHE GOVERNING BODY 1FOUNDER MEMBERS 2THE GENERAL BODY 2

DIRECTOR-GENERAL'S REPORT (2006–07) 5

ACTIVITIES (2006–07)PUBLICATIONS 11PUBLIC AFFAIRS 21RESEARCH PROGRAMMES 25GROWTH, TRADE AND ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT 29INVESTMENT CLIMATE, PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE 37AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH MANAGEMENT 43HOUSEHOLD BEHAVIOUR, POVERTY, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, INFORMALITY AND GENDER 47

FINANCES 2006–07ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2006–07 53

APPENDIX I: GOLDEN JUBILEE EVENT 75

APPENDIX II: ACTIVITIES OF SENIOR STAFF 81

APPENDIX III: RESOURCESSTAFF COMPOSITION 89LIBRARY 93COMPUTER CENTRE 95

Contents

IV NCAER ANNUAL REPORT 2006–2007

ACIAR Australian Centre of International Agricultural ResearchADB Asian Development Bank AIDS Acquired Immuno-Deficiency SyndromeAoA Agreement on AgricultureAPEDA Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development AuthorityASSOCHAM Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry BBC British Broadcasting CorporationBCI Business Confidence IndexBES Business Expectations SurveyBITS Birla Institute of Technology and ScienceBPL Below Poverty LineCASE Current Awareness Service in EconomicsCEPR Centre for Economic Policy ResearchCGD Centre for Global DevelopmentCGE Computable General EquilibriumCICs Community Information CentresCIDA Canadian International Development AgencyCII Confederation of Indian IndustryCPRC Chronic Poverty Research Centre CSIR Council for Scientific and Industrial ResearchCUTS Consumer Unity and Trust Society, JaipurDELs Direct Exchange LinesDEPB Duty Entitlement Pass Book SchemeDFID Department for International Development (U.K.)DNA Daily News and AnalysisDRDO Defence Research and Development OrganisationDWCD Department of Women & Child Development (Govt. of India)ECARES European Centre for Advanced Research in Economics and StatisticsECCP Europe-India Cross Cultural ProgrammeEIRR Economic Internal Rate of ReturnEPCGs Export Promotions Capital GoodsFCI Food Corporation of IndiaFDI Foreign Direct InvestmentFGDs Focus Group DiscussionsFICCI Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and IndustryFPAC Fiscal Policy Analysis Cell

Abbreviations/Acronyms

ABBREVIATIONS/ACRONYMS V

2006 2007

FRBNY Federal Reserve Bank, New YorkFTA Free Trade Agreement GASAB Government Accounting Standards Advisory BoardGATS General Agreement on Trade in ServicesGoI Government of IndiaHDFC Housing Development Finance Corporation HDI Human Development IndexHPCL Hindustan Petroleum Corporation LimitedHUDA Haryana Urban Development AuthorityIAASTD International Assessment of Agricultural Science and

Technology for DevelopmentIPEA Institute of Applied Economic Analysis (Brazil)IAMR Institute of Applied Manpower ResearchIARI Indian Agricultural Research InstituteICAR Indian Council of Agricultural ResearchICRIER Indian Council for Research on International Economic RelationsICT Information and Communication TechnologyIDF International Dairy FederationIDFC Infrastructure Development Finance CompanyIDRC International Development Research CentreIEG Institute of Economic GrowthIFPRI International Food Policy Research InstituteIIPA Indian Institute of Public AdministrationILO International Labour OrganisationIMF International Monetary FundIMI International Management Institute, New DelhiIPF India Policy ForumIRADe Integrated Research and DevelopmentISBF Indian School of Business and FinanceISP Indra Sagar ProjectISST Institute of Social Studies TrustIWT Inland Waterways TransportationJETRO Japan External Trade Organisation JKP Jan Kerosene Pariyojana JNU Jawahar Lal Nehru University KST Knowledge, Science and TechnologyLSE London School of EconomicsMFN Most Favoured NationMGI McKinsey Global InstituteMISH Market Information Survey of HouseholdsMSMEs Micro, Small and Medium EnterprisesMSP Minimum Support PriceNACO National AIDS Control OrganisationNATP National Agricultural Technology ProjectNBER National Bureau of Economic Research (Cambridge, MA)NCAER National Council of Applied Economic Research

VI NCAER ANNUAL REPORT 2006–2007

2006 2007

NCDC National Cooperative Development CorporationNIC National Informatics CentreNIPFP National Institute of Public Finance and PolicyNISTADS National Institute of Science, Technology and Development StudiesNORAD Norwegian Agency for Development CooperationNSSO National Sample Survey OrganisationORS Oral Rehydration SolutionPDS Public Distribution System PHDCCI Punjab, Haryana and Delhi Chamber of Commerce and IndustryPIA Project Impact AreaPLWHA People Living with HIV and AIDSPPIAF Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory FacilityPPAC Petroleum Planning and Analysis CellPPPs Public-Private PartnershipsRBI Reserve Bank of IndiaREDS Rural Economic and Demographic SurveyRTA Regional Trade ArrangementSAM Social Accounting Matrix SANEI South Asia Network of Economic Research Institutes SBI State Bank of IndiaSDP State Domestic ProductSEWA Self Employed Women’s AssociationSGDP State Gross Domestic ProductSHG Self-help GroupSHPI Self-help promotion institutionsSKO Superior Kerosene OilTERI The Energy and Resources Institute UCLA University of California, Los AngelesUNAIDS United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDSUNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and DevelopmentUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeUSAID United States Agency for International DevelopmentUSOF Universal Service Obligation FundVAT Value-added Tax VPTs Village Public TelephonesWHO World Health Organisation

THE GOVERNING BODY*

The Governing Body met twice during 2006-07: on August 21 and December 16, 2006. TheGeneral Body met on August 21, 2006.

PresidentBimal Jalan

Vice PresidentM.S. Verma Former Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and

State Bank of India

SecretaryN.J. Sebastian Secretary and Chief Librarian, NCAER, New Delhi

MembersShankar N. Acharya Honorary Professor and Member, Board of Governors, Indian Council

for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), NewDelhi

Isher J. Ahluwalia Chairperson, Board of Governors, Indian Council for Research onInternational Economic Relations (ICRIER), New Delhi

Mukesh D. Ambani Chairperson, Reliance Industries Limited, MumbaiSuman K. Bery Director-General, NCAER, New Delhi (ex-officio)Surjit S. Bhalla Managing Director, O(x)us Investments Pvt. Ltd., New DelhiTarun Das Chief Mentor, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), New DelhiYogesh C. Deveshwar Chairperson, ITC Limited, KolkataD. Subba Rao Finance Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Government of India (ex-

officio)Ashok S. Ganguly Chairperson, ICICI One-Source Limited, MumbaiK.V. Kamath Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank Limited, MumbaiNaina Lal Kidwai Chief Executive Officer, Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation

Ltd., MumbaiAnand G. Mahindra Managing Director and Vice-Chairperson, Mahindra & Mahindra

Ltd., MumbaiR.A. Mashelkar CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow, National Chemical Laboratory, PuneKiran Mazumdar-Shaw Chairperson & Managing Director, Biocon India Limited, BangaloreRakesh Mohan Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of IndiaRohini Nayyar Former Advisor, Planning Commission, New DelhiDeepak S. Parekh Chairperson, Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC)

Ltd., MumbaiRajendra S. Pawar Chairperson, National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT),

New Delhi

The Institution

THE INSTITUTION 1

* As on August 1, 2007.

2006 2007

FOUNDER MEMBERS

2 NCAER ANNUAL REPORT 2006–2007

Special MemberNew Zealand High Commission, New Delhi

J.R.D. TataN.R. PillaiC.D. DeshmukhT.T. Krishnamachari

John MathaiV.T. KrishnamachariJ.F. SinclairAshoka Mehta

THE GENERAL BODY*

Corporate Members1. A.F. Ferguson & Company2. Associated Chambers of Commerce and

Industry3. Crompton Greaves Ltd.4. Eicher Goodearth Ltd.5. E.I.D. Parry (India) Ltd.6. Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Co.

Ltd.7. Hindalco Industries Ltd.8. ICRA Ltd.9. Indian Banks' Association

10. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.11. Insurance Regulatory and Development

Authority12. Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd.13. National Dairy Development Board

14. National Mineral DevelopmentCorporation Ltd.

15. Pepsi Foods Private Ltd.16. Population Council for South and East

Asia17. Punjab University18. PHD Chamber of Commerce and

Industry19. Sakthi Sugars Ltd.20. Shell India Private Ltd.21. Tata Consultancy Services22. Tata Power Company Ltd.23. Usha International Pvt. Ltd.24. Valsad District Co-operative Milk

Production Union25. V. Malik and Associates, Chartered

Accountants

Life MembersSubir GuptaS.M. WahiD.N. Patodia

Patron MembersBata India Ltd.DCL Polyesters Ltd.ICICI Bank Ltd.State Bank of India

* As on March 31, 2007.

THE INSTITUTION 3

2006 2007

Ordinary Members1. D.R. Agarwal2. Birla Institute of Technology and Science

(BITS)3. Central Leather Research Institute4. R.T. Doshi5. EPW Research Foundation6. Vikram Kumar

7. Martin and Harris Pvt. Ltd.8. Miven Mayfran, Conveyors Pvt. Ltd.9. Psi Economic Research Analysts Pvt. Ltd.

10. Sidho Mal Paper Conversion Co. Pvt.Ltd.

11. The Godavari Sugar Mills Ltd.

Number of MembersMarch 31, 2006 March 31, 2007

Corporate members paying Rs. 5,000/- per annum 44 25

Ordinary members paying Rs. 500/- per annum 10 11

Patron members paying a one-time subscription of Rs. 1 lakh 4 4

Special members paying a one-time subscription of Rs. 1 lakh 1 1

Total 59 41

Total fees received Rs. 2, 25, 000 Rs. 1, 30, 500

NCAER GOVERNING BODY MEMBERS IN A MEETING.


2006 2007

GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS As indicated in last year’s Annual Report,2006-07 was celebrated as NCAER’s GoldenJubilee. The special NCAER crest designedfor the occasion has once again been used inthis year’s Annual Report.

The climax of the year’s celebrations was aday-long event on Sunday, December 17, 2006at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. The occasionwas graced by the presence of the Hon. PrimeMinister, Dr Manmohan Singh at theInaugural Session of this function. His addresson the occasion is included in this Report, asare photographs of the event.

Following the Inaugural Session a day-longseminar was held on the theme “AppliedEconomic Research in Independent India:The Way Forward” with commissionedauthors presenting draft papers before aninvited audience. Several NCAER Boardmembers served as presenters, discussants orchairs. We are grateful for their support andinvolvement. A volume based on these revisedpapers is currently under preparation. We aregrateful to the International DevelopmentResearch Centre (IDRC), Canada, a long-standing partner of the NCAER, for kindlysupporting the research workshop.

I would like to take this occasion toacknowledge the spirited commitment ofNCAER staff who worked tirelessly to makethe event a resounding success. A particular joywas the presence of a large number of NCAERalumni who chose to attend the function, aswell as other celebrations through the year.

Governing Body and MembershipThe Governing Body met twice during theyear. In addition to participation in formalmeetings of the Governing Body, individualBoard members generously provided theirtime and advice both individually to thePresident and Director-General, and throughvarious ad hoc committees established to guidethe Golden Jubilee programme. Morecontinuous support and oversight wasprovided by the Standing Committee (chairedby the Vice-President, Shri M.S.Verma),which also serves as the Audit Committee ofthe Board.

I would like to thank Dr Rajesh Chadhafor continuing as Senior Counsellor(Operations) and Secretary to the GoverningBody till May 31, 2007, when he handed overto our Chief Librarian, Mr N. J. Sebastian.

Mr Ashok Jha retired as Finance Secretaryon April 30, 2007. I would like to thank himfor his interest in and support for the work ofthe Council, and to welcome his successor Dr D. Subba Rao to the Board. In respect ofthe General Body, there has been a furtherreduction in the number of fee-payingmembers, indicating a need to revisit theattractiveness of our offering to our corporatemembers. A Board-mandated review of ourmembership programme is accordinglyunderway.

Work Programme and Research OutputMy message last year concentrated on thecharacteristics of the Council that have

Director-General’s Report(2006–07)

DIRECTOR-GENERAL’S REPORT 5

2006 2007

sustained it over its fifty years of existence.This year I return to providing an overview ofsome of the salient activities which haveengaged the Council over the last two years.

In this period the Indian economy and theworld economy have both been enjoying asustained economic boom. The Indian privatesector seems to have come of age, receivingglobal attention for its managerialprofessionalism. In turn, there is a new-foundconfidence in corporate India about being ableto deal with global competition, and anincreasing appetite to expand the Indianfootprint through overseas foreign investment.Indeed India is increasingly bracketed togetherwith China as a major competitive threat tothe established order in the industrial world.

With the benefit of hindsight, thereintegration of India into the world economyhas perhaps been the core achievement ofIndia’s reform effort over the last fifteen years.While this was by no means a smooth process,it has by and large been successful, both inproviding additional competitive discipline tothe Indian economy, and in easing the foreignexchange constraint on Indian development.Although much remains to be done,international integration is increasinglyaccepted as being in India’s interests.

Accordingly, the domestic economic andpolitical agenda has evolved. The larger goalsremain those of reducing poverty and ofensuring that prosperity reaches ever-largerportions of the Indian population, whilemaintaining financial stability and lowinflation. Attention has increasingly moved toimproving the performance of the publicsector, by itself and in its collaboration withthe private sector. Other challenges includeenvironmental stability (and its twin, energysecurity); improving the quality of jobs;maintaining access to overseas markets as theworld trading system faces new threats to itslegitimacy; and revitalising the rural economy.The Prime Minister used part of his address atthe NCAER Golden Jubilee to articulate his

views of the major development challengesfacing the country over the next decade.

The National Council is active in many ofthese emerging areas. We have continued alarge work programme on issues of regulationand access in infrastructure under projectssupported by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust(SRTT), the UNDP and the European Union,as well as by individual ministries. A majorreport on rural infrastructure, supported by theSRTT and published by Sage India wasreleased by the Prime Minister at the GoldenJubilee event, marking the culmination of along-running project on the subject. Quiteapart from documenting the very poorcondition of infrastructure access and servicein four key rural infrastructure sectors, thereport also highlighted the very weak qualityof data on the subject.

Under its ECCP programme, theEuropean Union’s South Asia office supportedan intense dialogue between the NCAER andthree European research institutions onanalytic and policy issues in public-privatepartnerships in provision of public services.The final workshop was held in December2006. This dialogue, and the associatedworkshops, newsletters and reports that itgenerated led us to a much deeperunderstanding of both the potential gains andsome risks associated with such public-privatepartnerships. Finally, the long-standingUNDP programme that helped launch andestablish our Centre for Infrastructure andRegulation came to a close with thepublication of a much-praised volume by DrAshok Desai on India's TelecommunicationsIndustry.

The Council continued to maintain asignificant work programme in the area ofinternational trade, particularly on India'sbilateral and multilateral trade negotiations.We are indebted to the Ministry of Commercefor entrusting us with a number of academicstudies in these areas. In addition, individualCouncil staff have participated as members of


official teams to Japan, China and the DohaDevelopment Round. India- China trade wasthe subject of a study of the implications ofopening up trade with China at the Nathu-LaPass as also a study on a more comprehensivebilateral trade agreement. Our assistance toMinistry of Commerce in assessing theimplications of agricultural trade policies hasalso continued.

Data collection to illuminate householdbehaviour remains a core activity of theCouncil. Our work with the McKinsey GlobalInstitute (MGI), drawing upon NCAER’sown household income analysis as well as theconsumption surveys of the NSSO culminatedin a much-discussed McKinsey report on theIndian consumer (“The Bird of Gold”). Weintend to collaborate with McKinsey ondrawing policy implications of this work forvarious government ministries. Ourcollaborative work with University ofMaryland researchers in understanding therole of health and education in economicdevelopment has continued and the surveylaunched to gather necessary data for suchanalysis is complete. In the current year wecarried out a study of reasons fordiscontinuation of schooling by children at thesecondary and senior secondary stage. Thestudy was sponsored by the Department ofSecondary and Higher Education.

In an important study of the supply ofsubsidised kerosene in the country carried outin 2005, the Council had pointed to theextensive reach of the PDS for this fuel in therural and urban areas. However, the study hadalso estimated that a significant proportion ofthe subsidised supplies that were not reachingthe intended beneficiaries. Subsequently thegovernment launched a pilot scheme for thesupply of kerosene with an improvedmonitoring system to minimise the leakages.The Council provided an evaluation of theimpact of this pilot programme.

A new area of work for the Council hasbeen impact assessment of climate change. In

a study sponsored by the Ministry ofEnvironment, we are analysing the impact ofclimate change on the economy using aComputable General Equilibrium (CGE)Model. The study examines issues relating toreducing greenhouse gas emission in thecontext of agricultural trade policies and theinternational emissions trading regime.

The potential for application ofinformation technology in governance and thegains that can be achieved from theseapplications are well known. In a studysponsored by the National Informatics Centre,we carried out a social cost-benefit analysis ofCommunity Information Centres in thenorth-eastern region. The study has pointed tothe need for viability gap funding. As a followup on previous studies of e-governance, theCouncil is currently preparing the e-ReadinessReport 2006 for States and Union Territories.The study is commissioned by Department ofInformation Technology, Ministry ofCommunications and InformationTechnology.

State economies have been long-standingarea of research for the Council. In recentyears we have had the opportunity toparticipate in the work on State DevelopmentReports commissioned by the PlanningCommission. Our recent involvement hasbeen in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. Thishas given us an opportunity to understand thedifferent strengths and potential of the statesin the dynamics of national economy. We havealso been associated with the work ondevelopment of a macroeconomic data baseand input-output tables for Karnataka,Jharkhand and Uttaranchal.

Public AffairsIn connection with the Golden Jubilee asignificant effort was mounted to undertake amajor upgrade of the Council’s website. Iwould like to thank the internal team that ledthis effort. While the basic architecture of theupgraded website is sound, there is still a lot


2006 2007

2006 2007

more that can be done to make the website asuitable introduction to the enormous varietyof activity underway in the Council. This willrequire devoting additional resources to thisincreasingly vital channel of communication.

In addition to the Vigyan Bhavan event,other events on NCAER’s regular calendaralso formed part of the Golden Jubileecommemoration. In April 2006, the fourth SirJohn Crawford Lecture (jointly sponsored bythe NCAER and the Australia-India Council,Canberra) was delivered by Prof. Allan Fels onthe topic “Competition Matters” at the IndiaInternational Centre auditorium with DrBimal Jalan in the chair.

In January 2007 we co-hosted the eighthannual NBER-NCAER NeemranaConference on the Indian economy. We wereprivileged to have the presence of the Hon'bleFinance Minister, Shri P. Chidambaram at theopening session. The distinguished team fromthe NBER was led, as before, by the Presidentof the NBER, Professor Martin Feldstein.Details of the conference are posted on theCouncil’s website. We are extremely proudthat the Neemrana “brand” has becomesufficiently established that the NBER hasagreed to make a multi-year commitment tomaintaining these conferences. On the Indianside, we welcome an additional partner, theIndian Council for Research on InternationalEconomic Relations (ICRIER), which willrotate responsibility with the NCAER forprogramme design and local arrangements.

The NCAER’s joint venture with theBrookings Institution, the India Policy Forum,has become another regular feature in ourpublic calendar. In addition to the workingsessions of the panel, we use the presence ofour distinguished visitors to sponsor a publiclecture. In July 2006, the lecture was deliveredby Dr Pranab Bardhan, Professor ofEconomics at the University of California atBerkeley and a member of the Advisory Panelfor the IPF. At the function in July 2007, theHon. Finance Minister was the Chief Guest at

a lecture delivered by Prof. T.N. Srinivasan ofYale University, also a member of the IPFAdvisory Panel. The publication of the IPFjournal has now been entrusted to Sage, India,who are also our publishers for the re-launchedpublication Margin, which continues to beedited from NCAER.

In other activities, we were pleased towelcome the President of the BrookingsInstitution, Mr Strobe Talbott to a workshopdiscussion on “Think Tanks and GlobalGovernance” and to co-host a seminar by Prof.Nicholas Lardy, Senior Fellow, PetersonInstitute for International Economics on thetheme “China: Toward a consumption-drivengrowth path”. NCAER cooperated with threeother Delhi research institutions (ICRIER,NIPFP and IDF) for a public discussion onthe 2007-08 budget, as well as hosting aseminar by the Deputy Governor of the Bankof England, Ms Rachel Lomax on“Globalisation and Monetary Policy.

Management and FinancesIndia’s current economic boom has generated adramatic increase in the demand for skilledtalent of all kinds. Along with other researchorganisations, NCAER has been affected bythis in a number of ways. We are a visiblesource of talent for jobs in the booming privatesector (particularly financial institutions butalso “knowledge process outsourcing”). Severaloverseas universities, research organisationsand business schools are also setting up Indiaresearch centres adding to demand. While thisincrease in competition is a positivedevelopment as it stimulates innovation andcreativity, it does mean that NCAER’s ‘talentmodel’ needs systematic and continuingattention.

The Council’s current compensationsystem has been in place since April 1, 2004.That system put in place performance linkedincentive pay (PLIP) for all regular staff (bothresearch and support). A review of marketcompensation and personnel practices in peer


organisations was mandated under that systemto guide a revision in scales with effect fromApril 1, 2007. To assist in this exercise, theCouncil retained Ernst and Young (E&Y) ascompensation consultants.

Their review provided the basis for ageneral salary increase for our regular staff. Italso indicated that our general personnelpractices were broadly in line with the market,although implementation could be tightened.In particular, attrition rates at junior andmedium levels in research were not unusual.However, the Council’s integration of scalesfor research and support is relatively rare.

With respect to the Council’s finances wewere pleased to work with a new firm ofstatutory auditors, M/s. S. P. Chopra & Co.whose appointment for the year 2006-07 wasapproved by the General Body at its meetingon August 21, 2006. The Balance Sheetattached to this report marks the completionof our first year association with them. Whilethe Council was able to declare a small surplusin the year ending March 31, 2007, projectincome was lower than budgeted, and, indeed,below the level achieved in 2005-06. This

substantially reflects significant under-spending by our European partners on theEU-sponsored project because of a shortage ofmatching funds required by the grant. AsNCAER was the fiscal agent for the project, asthis shortfall was reflected in our books. Anadditional factor was delay in finalisingpublication of our household income surveylargely because of the departure of critical staff.

Looking AheadWith the Golden Jubilee celebration behindus, our energies are engaged in chalking outfresh directions for the NCAER in theexciting period ahead. The broad directionsare clear: a need to modernise our physicalinfrastructure, professionalise our surveycapacity, raise our endowment income,strengthen our review and quality assurancemechanisms and invest substantially more incommunication and dissemination. The lastfifty years have shown the NCAER to be aflexible institution able to respond to newcircumstances. These attributes will be neededeven more in the future.


2006 2007

REPORTS

India Rural Infrastructure Report(2007, SAGE (INDIA) LTD., PP. 150)

This study oninfrastructure,sponsored by the SirRatan Tata Trustspecifically for ruralIndia, was motivatedby two majorconsiderations. One,the widespread

recognition of the strong linkages ofinfrastructure to economic growth and povertyalleviation, and, two, the fact that unlike urbanareas, rural India is characterised by scatteredpopulations, making conventional networkstoo expensive and inefficient to be practical.

The India Rural Infrastructure Report,using a variety of data sources to bear upon theanalysis, surveys of infrastructure users’experiences in ten Indian states, 82 case studiesof innovative infrastructure projects andcommentaries from sector specialists andpractitioners, brings into sharp focus the poorstatus of infrastructure in the rural areas. TheReport, which has covered four sectors -telecommunications, power, roads andtransport and drinking water supply andsanitation – finds the trends to be similar in allthe four sectors. The quantity and quality ofinfrastructure services are much lower in

India’s rural areas than in its cities today.Further, wide inter-state disparities ininfrastructure have been indicated.

The study suggests the need for findingnew methods, attracting new players toprovide services, and adopting new policies tosupport privatisation and decentralisation ofinfrastructure services. The study on the basisof an analysis of various case studies makes acase for local financing of both investment andmaintenance of rural infrastructure. TheReport also suggests the need to strengthenlocal governments, institutionally as well asfinancially.PRINCIPAL NCAER STAFF: D B GUPTA, JYOTSNA BAPAT, S K

N NAIR, AND SUMAN K BERY

Public-Private Partnership inInfrastructure Industries and Regulation(2006, NCAER, PP. 52)

The publication isbased on a workshop,“Public PrivatePartnership forInfrastructureDevelopment”, heldin April 2006. It wasorganised by theNCAER incollaboration with a

number of institutions and highlightedoperational and international perspectives.Many senior officials from both public and

Activities 2006–07

PUBLICATIONS*

ACTIVITIES 2006–07 11

*Research programme and study output of NCAER researchers published prior to August 1, 2007 in the form of books, reports,journals, research papers and articles by NCAER as well as by other global and Indian publishing houses.

NCAER publications/ periodicals are available by direct/ email order, through subscription/ online order at the NCAER's web-site: www.ncaer.org or [email protected]

2006 2007

private sectors from India and the international community participated in the workshop to leading enrich discussions.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) haveacquired wide acceptability because of thegreater efficiency with which private investorsmanage risks. Governments could raise fundsin a variety of ways, but public entities tend tounderprice risks and consequently levy low,insufficient and unsustainable user charges forpublic services. Injection of private capital andmanagement along with the adoption ofsuperior technologies lead to more efficientutilisation of resources, thus releasing publicfinances for allocation for alternative uses.PRINCIPAL NCAER STAFF: ANURADHA BHASIN, DIVJOT

SINGH, AND NANDANI ACHARYA

Sustaining Fast Growth: The Role ofEconomic Regulation(2006, NCAER, PP. 218)

This title includesthe proceedings of aconference held onDecember 4–5, 2006.The study waspartnered with threeEuropean researchinstitutes to carry outa research project oneconomic regulation

and competition issues in the infrastructuresector. It consists of the views of policy makers,researchers and policy analysts on issuesrelating to the role of infrastructure inachieving high rate of economic growth. Thefocus of the conference was on regulatorystructures for facilitating economic growthwith efficiency and equity. The financial sectorand economic infrastructure industries likepower, telecommunications and transportationwere covered.PRINCIPAL NCAER STAFF: ANURADHA BHASIN, DIVJOT

SINGH, AND NANDANI ACHARYA

Socioeconomic Impact of HIV and AIDS in India(2006, UNDP, PP. 216)

This comprehensivestudy on thesocioeconomicimpact of HIV andAIDS was sponsoredby UNDP andNACO and wasundertaken byNCAER during the

period October 2004 to May 2005. The studyis based on a survey of 2,068 HIV and 6,224non-HIV households spread over the rural andurban areas of six HIV high-prevalence statesin India – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Karnataka, Maha-rashtra, Nagaland andManipur. The impact of HIV and AIDS hasbeen detailed for a cross-section of issues suchas household income, savings, consumption aswell as education, health, gender and levels ofstigma and discri-mination. Case studies andfocus group dis-cussions (FGDs) were alsoconducted to sup-plement the findings of thesurvey. While the case studies helped incapturing problems like stigma anddiscrimination, the FGDs were useful inconfirming quantitative findings andfurther analyse data from the household survey.

The study reveals that HIV households aremore likely to report loss of income, increasedexpenditure (especially medical expenses),lower savings and hire borrowings andliquidation of assets. The children of HIVhouseholds report higher dropout rates andabsenteeism due to the ill health of theirparents.

By demonstrating the wide-rangingnegative consequences of HIV on thehousehold, the report underscores the need torespond urgently to the negative impactgenerated by the epidemic in India.PRINCIPAL NCAER STAFF: BASANTA K PRADHAN,

RAMAMANI SUNDAR, AND SHALABH SINGH


Gender Impact of HIV and AIDS in India(2006, UNDP, PP. 142)

This study analysesthe impact of HIVand AIDS on womenand girls byexamining a crosssection of issues suchas household income,savings, consumptionas well as education,

health and levels of stigma and discrimination.The study is based on a primary survey of2,068 HIV and 6,224 non-HIV householdsconducted by NCAER with the support ofUNDP and NACO. The survey covered therural and urban areas of six HIV high-prevalence states and was conducted during2004–05.

The findings indicate that women of HIVhouseholds face increased burden of workloadat home and are also required to take upemployment to supplement lost earnings. Theburden of caring for people living with HIVand AIDS (PLWHA) is proportionatelyhigher in the case of women, whether or notthey themselves are HIV-positive. Incomparison to men, nearly double the cases ofillnesses of women PLWHA were leftuntreated. It is the girl child who is more likelyto be withdrawn from school. Though allPLWHA face discrimination, it is women whoexperience the worst of it, and that too withinthe family. The study brings out the pitiableeconomic condition of the HIV-positivewidow households they face the double burdenof stigma and discrimination.PRINCIPAL NCAER STAFF: BASANTA K PRADHAN, AND

RAMAMANI SUNDAR

The Macroeconomic and Sectoral Impactsof HIV/ AIDS in India: A ComputableGeneral Equilibrium (CGE) Study(2006, UNDP, PP. 124)

In 2005, the number of HIV-infected personsin India was estimated to be excess of 5

million, and thisnumber was project-ed to increase rapidly.

Keeping this inmind, the reportanalysed themacroeconomic andsectoral impacts ofHIV/ AIDS using afive-sector computable general equilibrium(CGE) model of the Indian economy. It is thefirst of its kind. Further, in Part II of the study,an extended 28-sector CGE model of theIndian economy was used to enable a moredetailed analysis of the sectoral impact of theAIDS epidemic – particularly the impact ofAIDS on Indian industry.

The study takes into account the variousmodes of transmission of the adverse impact ofHIV/AIDS on the national economy. All themajor effects of HIV/ AIDS, viz., decline intotal factor productivity resulting fromincreased mortality and morbidity, change inthe skill composition of the labour force due tounequal incidence of AIDS among differentgrades of labour, fall in savings due to increasein medical expenditure, and, the drop in thegrowth rate of the economically activepopulation, because of deaths caused to youngadults, are incorporated in the analysis, thanksto the CGE modelling methodology.

The study clearly highlights the impact ofHIV/ AIDS the growth of the Indian economy. The slowdown in economic growthis manifested in a decline in both real aggregate GDP and per capita GDP. In sectoral terms,the AIDS epidemic hits harder the sectors that use unskilled labour intensively, such as,tourism and manufacturing.PRINCIPAL NCAER STAFF: V P OJHA AND BASANTA K

PRADHAN

India: e-Readiness Assessment Report,2005(2007, NCAER, PP. 148)

The report assesses and ranks the states in


2006 2007

2006 2007

India on the basis oftheir e-readinessusing a primarysurvey. In the currentreport, time seriesdata has beenanalysed tounderstand howstates have adopted

strategies/action plans to improve the networkreadiness index. The section on case studiesexamines whether the e-readiness initiativeshave integrated the marginalised section, Itexamines the value addition to information,analyses whether the intermediate product hasbeen maximum, determines whether theinitiative is sustainable, assesses the pace andfinancial viability of the initiative so that theprivate sector could become a partner.

Our analysis of the states’ e-readinessreveals that the southern states like AndhraPradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala haveremained leaders over the three-year period,while the northern states of Chandigarh,Haryana and Rajasthan have shown vastimprovement. Apart from these, Sikkim fromthe north-eastern region has done exceedinglywell. A comparison of the rankings of the pastthree years reveals that political and regulatoryenvironment, and government readiness andusage are indicators that have helped most ofthese states to improve their rankings in termsof e-readiness. Another importantobservation is that since Information and communication Technology (ICT’s)supply-driven, there is greater scope fordiffusion agents (government) to influence the diffusion process, implying that the outlay for the ICT sector should be increased substantially in order to achievemaximum benefits.PRINCIPAL NCAER STAFF: R VENKATESAN, WILIMA

WADHWA, M R SALUJA, RUPA MALIK, BIBEK RAY CHAUDHURY,

KANIKA KALRA, AND SUJIT BASU

Social Cost Benefit Analysis of the POSCO Steel Project in Orissa(2007, NCAER, PP. 64)

The study assessedthe impact of a steelproject on thenational as well asstate economy. Morespecifically, thereport examineswhether thetechnology adopted

fits into the least cost approach (LCA)framework. It judges its the impact on thestate economy through an input-output table,and computes the economic internal rate ofreturn (EIRR) of the chosen LCA.

The EIRR for the POSCO project worksout to 16.6 per cent. Sensitivity Analysisindicates that even in the worst case scenario –sales 10 per cent lower than estimated – theEIRR at 13.9 per cent would remains abovethe hurdle rate of 12 per cent. This impliesthat apart from bringing in the least costtechnology, POSCO’s project would also yieldattractive returns. The economic impact of theproject is estimated at $ 2.5 billion at the testdiscount rate of 12 per cent.

The output multiplier for iron ore is 1.40while that for steel is 2.36. In other words,every Rs 1 lakh worth of output in the iron oresector would result in Rs 1.4 lakh of output(including the Rs 1 lakh output of iron ore) inthe economy. Similarly, for each Rs 1 lakhoutput in the iron and steel sector, theeconomy would derive an output of Rs 2.36lakh. The employment multiplier for iron oreis 0.35 and for steel it is 0.69.

These multipliers imply that POSCO’siron ore project would create additionalemployment of 50,000 person years annuallyfor the next 30 years. This translates into Rs20 billion of additional output for Orissa. Interms of value addition, the iron ore project


would contribute 1.3 per cent to Orissa’s State Gross Domestic Product (SGDP) by 2016–17.

On the other hand, if POSCO puts up thesteel project to utilise the entire iron ore minedin the State, the impact on the economy wouldbe much greater – 8,70,000 person years ofadditional employment each year over the next30 years. This translates into Rs 298 billion ofadditional output for Orissa. In terms of valueaddition, the steel project would contribute11.5 per cent to Orissa’s SDP by 2016–17.PRINCIPAL NCAER STAFF: R VENKATESAN, WILIMA

WADHWA, M R SALUJA, SUJIT BASU, AND RASHMI RASTOGI

Social Cost Benefit Analysis of Setting UpCommunity Information Centres(Computer Kiosks): A Case Study in India’sNorth-East (2007, NCAER, PP. 104)

The study is asystematic evaluationof the operation ofthe communityinformation centres(CICs) in north-eastIndia as well as anassessment of theirimpact on society. It

also aimed to analyse the financial viability ofinformation kiosks and suggest strategies toimprovetheir financial viability and enhancesocial profit. The observations of users and theopinion of non-users of CICs are considered.

The analysis reveals that social benefit doesoccur if the CICs are located in backwardregions. However, the financial internal rate ofreturn is negative, thus making viability gapfunding essential. The government mayconsider PPP, especially “lite” PPP, as anoption to reduce the viability gap fundingwhere state funding is in place and informalrelationships already forged between theprivate partner and NIC/GoI. Other ways inwhich thefinancial viability could be improved

without PPP have been suggested.PRINCIPAL NCAER STAFF: R VENKATESAN, RUPA MALIK,

KANIKA KALRA AND RAJEEV NARAYAN, CO-AUTHOR: WILIMA

WADHWA

SERIALS

India Policy Forum 2006–07 (Volume 3)(Annual)(2007, NCAER AND THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION,

WASHINGTON DC BY SAGE (INDIA) LTD., PP. 296)

SUMAN BERY, BARRY BOSWORTH, AND

ARVIND PANAGARIYA (EDS.)

The India PolicyForum (IPF) is anannual publicationdedicated toanalysingcontemporary trendsin the Indianeconomy. Itsobjective is to carrytheoretically rigorousyet empirically

informed research on current issues relating toIndia’s economic policy. A joint publication ofNCAER and Brookings the IPF serves as aforum for a global network of scholarsinterested in India’s economic transformation.Contributor Highlights

• Barry Bosworth, Susan M Collins, and Arvind

Virmani on Sources of Growth in the Indian Economy

• Rana Hasan, Devashish Mitra, and Beyza P Ural on

Trade Liberalization, Labour- Market Institutions,

and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Indian States

• Lant Pritchett and Rinku Murgai on Teacher

Compensation: Can Decentralization to Local Bodies

Take India from the Perfect Storm through Troubled

Waters to Clear Sailing?

• Andrew D Foster and Mark R Rosenzweig on Does

Economic Growth Reduce Fertility? Rural India

1971–99

• Jean-Marie Baland, Pranab Bardhan, Sanghamitra


2006 2007


2006 2007

Das, Dilip Mookherjee, and Rinki Sarkar on

Managing the Environmental Consequences of

Growth: Forest Degradation in the Indian mid-

Himalayas

SUBSCRIPTION PRODUCTS

Quarterly Review of the Economy (NCAER, ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION, INCLUDING POSTAGE

RS. 50, 000/ US$ 1,500)

COORDINATOR: SHASHANKA BHIDE

Designed to meet theneeds of policymakers, corporatesand others interestedin tracking the latestdevelopments in theIndian economy,Quarterly Reviewprovides an analysisof current policies

and tracks developments in the domestic andworld economy. NCAER growth forecasts areobjective and widely quoted in Indian andinternational media. The subscribers toQuarterly Review also receive a copy ofdetailed report on NCAER’s QuarterlyBusiness Expectations Survey. An integral partof Quarterly Review is its quarterly “State ofthe Economy” seminars organised atNCAER, bringing policy makers, industry leaders and researchers on to a commonplatform.

Margin: The Journal of Applied EconomicResearch (Quarterly)(NCAER AND SAGE (INDIA) LTD.)

VOLUME 38, NUMBER 3, 4, VOLUME 39, NUMBER 1, AND

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1 (4 ISSUES)

CHIEF EDITOR: SUMAN BERY

MANAGING EDITOR: ANURADHA BHASIN

Margin’s emphasis on policy analysis andapplication of modern quantitative techniques in developmental issues brings forth research findings in

broad areas ofapplied economics. Italso provides a forumfor well-knownscholars, civilservants andjournalists tocomment on publicaffairs, while alsoserving as a vehicle

for dissemination of the Council’s research.

Artha Suchi (Quarterly)(NCAER, ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION, INCLUDING POSTAGE,

RS. 300/ US$ 80)

VOLUME 23, NUMBER 3, 4 & VOLUME 24, NUMBER 1, 2 (4 ISSUES)

EDITOR: N J SEBASTIAN

A computerisedindex of governmentreports/ journalarticles/ newspaperwrite-ups related tothe Indian economybrought out by theNCAER Library.

MacroTrack (Monthly)(NCAER, ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION, INCLUDING POSTAGE,

RS. 3,000/US $100)

VOLUME 8, NUMBER 4 TO VOLUME 9, NUMBER 3 (12 ISSUES)

EDITOR: SHASHANKA BHIDE

Information andresearch-basedanalysis on majortrends in theeconomy, industryand finance.Supplementaryanalysis, based onNCAER’s BusinessExpectations Survey

(BES) and the NCAER MacroeconomicForecast, are also included. Each issue carriesstatistics on major states, based on currentissues of economic importance.


2006 2007

Connexions (Quarterly)(NCAER)

VOLUME 2, NUMBERS 3 TO 7 (FIVE ISSUES)

PROJECT LEADER: SHASHANKA BHIDE

Efficiency, equity andaccess in Indianinfrastructure:blending competitionand regulation,project co-funded byThe EuropeanUnion under the“University andStudies” dimension of the EU-India

Economic Cross-Cultural Programme.PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF APPLIED ECONOMIC

RESEARCH (NCAER)

CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC POLICY RESEARCH (CEPR), LONDON

INSTITUTE D'ECONOMIE INDUSTRIELLE (IDEI), TOULOUSE

EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH IN ECONOMICS

AND STATISTICS (ECARES), BRUSSELLS

The Newsletter provided news and analysisrelating to the infrastructure sector. Issuesrelating to regulation and competition in thesector would be given special attention. It alsoprovides an opportunity to participatingresearchers to report on the work carried outin the project.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Bedi, J S (March 2007): “Discrepancies andvalidation of data of various segments ofIndian manufacturing sector”, Economic andPolitical Weekly, vol. XLII, no. 10.

Bedi, J S (December 2006): “Cross-validationstudy on state of fruits and vegetablesproduction and consumption data – fresh(unprocessed) and processed”, Economic andPolitical Weekly, vol. XLI, no. 52, pp.5345–5352.

Bedi, J S (April–September 2006): “Impact oftechnological progress on productivity, usageof spindles and labour in Indian spinningsector”, National Productivity Council Journal,vol. 47, pp. 104–111.

Bhide, S, Gupta, D B and Singh, Tejinder(2006). “Impacting the agricultural researchsystem.” Margin, 38 (3), Apr.–June.

Bhide, S and Mehta, A K (2006). “Trackingpoverty through panel data: rural poverty inIndia, 1970–98.” Margin, 38 & 39 (4 & 1),Jul.–Sep. & Oct.–Dec.

Bhide, S (with Shah, A and Mehta,A K) (2006). “Chronic poverty in India:evidence and policy imperatives.” Margin, 38& 39 (4 & 1), Jul.–Sep. & Oct.–Dec.

Bhide, S (with Kalirajan, K) ( June 2006):“Bias-free measurement of technicalefficiency”, Journal of Applied Statistics, vol. 33,no. 5, pp. 523–533.

Bhide, S and Mehta, A K (2006): “Correlatesof incidence and exit from chronic poverty inrural India: evidence from panel data, inchronic poverty and development policy inIndia” edited by Mehta, A K and Shepherd,A., Sage Publications, New Delhi.

Buragohain, T ( January–June 2006): “Landand determinants of household income inrural India”. Afro-Asian Journal of RuralDevelopment, vol. XXXIX, no.1, pp. 7–17.

Buragohain, T (December 2006): “Utilizationof sub-centre in rural area: a deterministicapproach”. The Journal of Family Welfare, vol.52, no. 2, pp. 1–11.

Buragohain, T ( January–June 2006):“Employment elasticity and determinants ofwomen’s work participation in rural India”.


2006 2007

Business Perspectives. Birla Institute of Management Technology, vol. 8, no. 1,pp. 21–37.

Chadha, R and Pratap, D (2007). “TitanicFTAs: is it time to establish a pan-AsianFTA?.” Margin: The Journal of AppliedEconomic Research, 1 (1), Jan.–Mar.

Dubey, A (with Haan, De Arjan) (2006): “Aremigrants worse off or better off?” Margin, 38(3), Apr.–June.

Dubey, A (with Das, S, Pala, V and Thomas,E) (2006): “The non-farm sector in the ruralnorth-eastern region of India: some correlatesand determinants”, Manpower Journal, vol. 41,no. 2, pp. 151–170.

Dubey, A (with Palmer-Jones, Richard)(September 2006): “Poverty in India since1983: new poverty counts and robust povertycomparisons”, Artha Vijnana, vol. 47, nos. 3–4,pp. 223–258.

Dubey, A (with Palmer-Jones, Richard)(September 2006): “Prices, price indexes andpoverty counts in India during 1980s and1990s: from CPIs to poverty lines?”, ArthaVijnana, vol. 47, nos. 3–4, pp. 259–286.

Dubey, A (with Palmer-Jones, Richard )(September 2006): “Prices, price indexes andpoverty counts in India during 1980s and1990s: calculation of UVCPIs”, Artha Vijnana,vol. 47, nos. 3-4, pp. 287–328.

Kaur, R and Shukla, R K (2006): “Improvingaccess to clean fuels.” Margin, 38 (3),Apr.–June.

Kumar, P (2006): “Farm size and marketingefficiency in agriculture during pre and postliberalisation: a case of Haryana”, ConceptPublishing Company, New Delhi.

Kumar, P (December 2006): “Contractfarming through agri business firms and statecorporation: a case study in Punjab”, Economicand Political Weekly, vol. XLI, no. 52,pp. 5367–5375.

Kumar, P (October–December 2006):“Employment and earning patterns in farmingand non-farming activities: empiricalevidences from Punjab and Bihar”, The IndianJournal of Labour Economics, vol. 49, no. 4,pp. 661–680.

Kumar, P ( June 2006): “Inter commodity pricelinkages in India: a case of foodgrains, oilseedsand edible oils”, Journal of International andArea Studies, vol. 13(1), pp. 103–125.

Kumar, P and Sharma, A ( June–December2006): “Price variability and its determinants:an analysis of major foodgrains in India”,Indian Economic Review, vol. 41(2),pp. 149–172.

Kumar, P and Sharma, A (October-December2006): “Perennial crop supply responsefunctions: the case of Indian rubber, tea andcoffee”, Indian Journal of AgriculturalEconomics, vol. 61, no. 4, pp. 630–646.

Pohit, S (with Das, S and De, Indranil)(December 2006): “Equity themes in India’shealth sector reforms,” Project Working PaperNo. I 035/03, NCAER.

Pohit, S (with Das, S ) (2006): “Quantifyingthe transport, regulatory and other costs ofIndian overland exports to Bangladesh,”The World Economy, vol. 29, no. 9,pp. 1227–1242.

Pohit, S (with Taneja, N) (March–June 2006):“India-Nepal Informal Trade Estimation andQualitative Assessment”, Artha Vijnana, vol.XLVIII, no. 1 & 2, pp. 119–146.


2006 2007

Shariff, A (edited with Krishnaraj, M) (March2007): State, markets and inequalities: humandevelopment in rural India , pp. 784, NewDelhi. Orient Longman.

Shariff, A (co-authored) (2006): Social,economic and educational status of the Muslimcommunity of India, a report of the PrimeMinister’s High Level Committee, CabinetSecretariat, Government of India, pp. 404,New Delhi.

Shariff, A and Mondal, S K (2006):Securinghealth for all: dimensions and challenges inSujata, P and Sathyamal, C (eds.), pp.491–505. Institute for Human Development.

Shariff, A (with Razzak, A) (2006): Communalrelations and social integration in India: SocialDevelopment Report. Oxford University Press.

Shariff, A (edited with Diawakar, DM andMishra, GP) (2006): Some thoughts and natureand persistence of poverty in India: deprivationand inclusive development, pp. 295–335. ManakPublications.

Singh, K (2006): 'Inflation targeting:international experience and prospects forIndia', Economic and Political Weekly, (July 8-15), pp. 2958-2961.

Singh, K (edited by Kaushik Basu) (2007):'Oil' in the oxford companion to economics inIndia, New Delhi. Oxford University Press.

Bery, S and Singh, K (edited by J. Aziz, S.Dunaway and E. Prasad) (2006): 'Domesticfinancial liberalisation and internationalfinancial integration: an Indian perspective', inChina and India: learning from each Other, pp.145-180. Washington, DC: InternationalMonetary Fund

Singh, K (eds.) (2006): Uttar PradeshDevelopment Report, volume 1&2. PlanningCommission, Government of India: AcademicFoundation.

Shukla, RK and Jain, C (2006): “Overseaseducation: an Indian perspective.” Margin, 38(3), Apr.–June.

Shukla, RK and Kakar, P (2006): Role of science& technology, higher education and research inregional socio-economic development, WorkingPaper (WP 98), NCAER.

Shukla, RK (May 2006) “Bharatiya samajmain madhya varga ke maiyne”, EconomyIndia, vol. II, no. 3, pp. 61.

Sinha, A and Munjal, P (2006): “Informal andhomebased workers amidst reforms.” Margin,38 (3), Apr.–June.

Sinha, A (edited with Harriss-White, B)(January 2007): “Trade liberalization andIndia’s informal economy: macro meetsmicro”. Oxford University Press.

Sinha, A (with Adam, C) (July 2006):“Reforms and informalization: what liesbehind jobless growth in India” in a volumetitled Informal Labour Markets andDevelopment, edited by Guha-Khasnobis, andKanbur, R. Palgrave Macmillan.

Sinha, A (February 2007): Report titled,“Examining employment figures in thehandloom sector.” All India Artisans andCraft-workers Welfare Association (AIACA).

Sinha, A (August 2006): Report titled,“Impact of international crude oil price rise onIndia’s economy”. PetroFed.

2006 2007


HON. FINANCE MINISTERSHRI P. CHIDAMBARAMWITH MONTEK SINGHAHLUWALIA, DEPUTYCHAIRMAN, PLANNINGCOMMISSION, MARTINFELDSTEIN, PRESIDENTAND CHIEF EXECUTIVEOFFICER, NBER AND BIMALJALAN, PRESIDENT,GOVERNING BODY, NCAERINTERACTING DURING THECONFERENCE.

SUMAN K. BERY, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, NCAER IN ADISCUSSION WITH JOHNLIPSKY, FIRST DEPUTYMANAGING DIRECTOR, IMFAND JAGDISH BHAGWATI,COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ANDCOUNCIL FOR FOREIGNRELATIONS, NEW YORK.

HON. FINANCE MINISTER,SHRI P. CHIDAMBRAMINTERACTING WITH SUMANK. BERY, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, NCAER

NBER–NCAER EIGHTH ANNUAL NEEMRANA CONFERENCE

LECTURES

APRIL 18, 2006: The Fourth Sir John CrawfordLecture, “Competition matters: perspectives ofa practitioner” by Prof. Allan Fels AO, dean ofthe Australia and New Zealand School ofGovernment (formerly chairman of theAustralian Competition and ConsumerCommission)AT: India International Centre, New Delhi.ORGANISER: D.K. Pant

JULY 31–AUGUST 1, 2006: Third annual ‘IndiaPolicy Forum’ workshop and launch of IndiaPolicy Forum 2005/06, Vol. 2. Lecture by Prof.Pranab Bardhan(University of California) on“Governance matters in economic reforms”.AT: India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.ORGANISER: Suman Bery

WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES, SEMINARS AND SYMPOSIA

APRIL 7, 2006: “Improving social developmentthrough impact evaluation: an Indianperspective on closing the evaluation gap”:A consultation co-hosted by Suman Bery(NCAER) and Rajat Gupta (McKinsey & Co.) and convened by the Centre for Global Development (CGD)AT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Shashanka Bhide

APRIL 10–11, 2006: Workshop on “Public-privatepartnership (PPP) in infrastructure industriesand regulation – future directions for PPPs ininfrastructure” (EU-ECCP Project)

AT: Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi.ORGANISER: Shashanka Bhide

JUNE 15, 2006: Workshop on “Databasedevelopment for government of Karnataka”(USAID Project, Phase-I)AT: Bangalore, Karnataka.ORGANISER: Anushree Sinha

JULY 6, 2006: Workshop on “State-wise input-output model development: input outputtechnique for revenue projection” (USAIDProject, Phase-I)AT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Anushree Sinha

JULY 20, 2006: Release of NACO-UNDP-NCAER study on “Socioeconomic impact ofHIV and AIDS in India” (UNDP Project).Chair: Dr C. RangarajanAT: India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.ORGANISER: B.K. Pradhan

JULY 28, 2006: Discussion with TimothyGeithner, President, Michael Silva, VicePresident and Mr Checki (all from FederalReserve Bank, New York) AT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Shashanka Bhide

AUGUST 22, 2006: Workshop on “Reformproject, USAID/India input-output model forpolicy analysis” (USAID Project, Phase-II)AT: India International Centre, New Delhi.ORGANISER: Anushree Sinha


2006 2007

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

SEPTEMBER 6, 2006: Seminar on “Land reformsin India”, addressed by Klaus DeiningnerAT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Hari Nagarajan

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006: Workshop by StrobeTalbott, President, the Brookings Institutionon “Think tanks and global governance”AT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Suman Bery

OCTOBER 26, 2006: Seminar by Sisira Jayasuriya,Director, Asian Economics Centre at theDepartment of Economics, University ofMelbourne, on “Coping with natural disastersin developing countries: lessons from theDecember 2004 Asian Tsunami”.AT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Rajesh Chadha

NOVEMBER 8, 2006: Presentation on “Thechanging competitiveness landscape amongemerging economies: the role of India andChina” by Bart Van Ark, director ofinternational economic research, at theConference Board, New York and professor ofeconomics at University of Groningen,Holland.AT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Suman Bery

NOVEMBER 10, 2006: Seminar by WendyDobson, professor and director, Institute forInternational Business at University ofToronto, on “Banking sector reforms in China”AT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Shashanka Bhide

NOVEMBER 21, 2006: Masood Ahmed, director,External Relations department - IMF:Interactive discussion on the recentIMF/World Bank Annual Meetings inSingapore, including the decision to increasequotas for a selected number of emergingeconomies.

AT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Suman Bery

DECEMBER 4–5, 2006: Conference on “Sustainingfast growth: the role of economic regulation”(EU Project)AT: India International Centre, New Delhi.ORGANISER: Shashanka Bhide

DECEMBER 14, 2006: Discussion/Seminar on“China: towards a consumption-driven growthpath” by Nick Lardy, sr. fellow–Institute forInternational EconomicsAT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Amaresh Dubey, jointly with AsiaSociety, India

DECEMBER 17, 2006: Golden Jubilee workshopon “Applied economic research in independentIndia: the way forward”AT: Vigyan Bhavan.ORGANISER: Suman Bery

DECEMBER 19, 2006: Workshop on “Reformproject USAID/India input output table andanalysis” (USAID Project, Phase-II)AT: Dehradun.ORGANISER: Anushree Sinha

JANUARY 9–10, 2007: Seminar on “Reformproject, USAID/India input output table andanalysis” (USAID Project, Phase-II)AT: Ranchi.ORGANISER: Anushree Sinha

JANUARY 15, 2007: Seminar on “Reform project,USAID/India input output table andAnalysis” (USAID Project, Phase-II)AT: Qutab Hotel, New Delhi.ORGANISER: Anushree Sinha

JANUARY 18, 2007: First meeting of the AdvisoryGroup “Index of devolution for assessingenvironment for panchayati raj institutions inthe states”


2006 2007


2006 2007

AT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Shashanka Bhide

JANUARY 22, 2007: NBER–NCAER eighthannual conference AT: Neemrana Fort Palace Resort, Rajasthanand NCAER, New Delhi ORGANISERS: Anil Sharma, NCAER and MihirDesai, National Bureau of Economic Research(NBER), Cambridge (MA), USA withadministrative support of both organisations.

FEBRUARY 8, 2007: Lecture on “Love thyneighbour: how much bigotry is there inwestern countries?” by Vani K Borooah, seniorprofessor of Applied Economics, University ofUlsterAT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Amaresh Dubey

MARCH 7, 2007: Post Budget Seminar -ICRIER, IDF, NCAER and NIPFP AT: India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.ORGANISER: Suman Bery

MARCH 12–13, 2007: International seminar on“Saving Doha and delivering on development”(organised by the Ministry of Commerce andIndustry in collaboration with NCAER,UNCTAD, Carnegie Endowment forInternational Peace, ICRIER, CUTSInternational and OXFAM)AT: ITC Mauriya Sheraton Hotel, New Delhi.ORGANISER: Anil Sharma

MARCH 13, 2007: Seminar by Rachel Lomax,Deputy Governor, Bank of England on“Globalisation and monetary policy”AT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Kanhaiya Singh

MARCH 20, 2007: NCAER-World Bankdissemination seminar on “India-Bangladeshtrade and trade policies”CHIEF GUEST: Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Statefor CommerceAT: Committee Room, NCAER.ORGANISER: Sanjib Pohit


2006 2007

* An asterisk indicates programme/ project completion as on/ before the financial year ending on March 31, 2007.

RESEARCH PROGRAMMES*

Programme Sponsor1. Quarterly Review of the Economy (M/05/020) ANNUAL SUBSCRIBERS

2. India Policy Forum (G/05/013) STATE BANK Of INDIA, TATA SONS, CITI

AND HDFC BANK

3. Devolution Index for panchayati UNDP/ MINISTRY Of PANCHAYATI RAJ

raj institutions in India (M/06/094)4. Price Escalation Formula for HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS LIMITED,

aircraft (M/06/096) BANGALORE

5. Business expectations survey (M/05/068) SELF-SPONSORED AND SUPPORT FROM

THE ECONOMIC TIMES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

TO QUARTERLY REVIEW

6. Foreign direct investment in India: Structure JAPAN EXTERNAL TRADE ORGANISATION (JETRO)

and promotion environment* (M/05/083)7. Quarterly reports for the Embassy of Japan, EMBASSY OF JAPAN, NEW DELHI

New Delhi * (M/06/87)8. Potential of Indo-China border trade MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

through Nathu La* (M/06/90)9. Government procurement in services: MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Implications for India* (M/06/91)10. EU and Japan country papers (M/06/89) MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

11. India-China RTA: feasibility study (M/06/075) MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

12. Quarterly reports for the Embassy of Japan, EMBASSY OF JAPAN, NEW DELHI

New Delhi (M/06/87)13. India: Global Talent Index I/06/044 THE NEIL D. LEVINE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL

RELATIONS AND COMMERCE, STATE

UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

14. Social Cost Benefit Analysis of POSCO steel POSCO

project in Orissa* (I/06/041)15. Study of services to depositors and small RESERVE BANK OF INDIA

borrowers in rural and semi-urban areas (S/05/021)

16. Protection Index project (S/05/014) MAX NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE CO. LTD.

17. National survey of household income and SELF–SPONSORED

expenditure (S/05/018)

Programme Sponsor18. Macroeconomic impact of high PETROLEUM FEDERATION OF INDIA

oil prices* (M/05/072) 19. Study on USAID India state fiscal BEARING POINT GLOBAL OPERATIONS, NEW DELHI

management reform Phase-I* (M/05/071) 20. Impact assessment of Jan Kerosene PETROLEUM PLANNING AND ANALYSIS CELL

Pariyojana (JKP)* (M/05/079) (PPAC), MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND

NATURAL GAS

21. Impact and sustainability of the self-help GERMAN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION,

group (SHG)- bank linkage (M/06/095) NEW DELHI

22. Economic assessment of India-Chile MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

FTA* (M/05/074)23. Preparation of user-friendly document- DELHI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Master Plan for Delhi 2021* (H/04/018)24. Towards assessing the performance of the DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Defence Research and Development ORGANISATION (DRDO)

Organisation (DRDO) Phase I: Framework of analysis* (M/05/084)

25. Economic assessment of the performance DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

of the Defence Research: case studies ORGANISATION (DRDO), MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(M/06/097)26. Bio-fuel policy issues study (M/06/098) MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

27. Study of beer industry in India* (M/05/080) SAB-MILLER

28. Efficiency, equity and access in Indian EU-INDIA ECONOMIC CROSS CULTURAL

infrastructure: blending competition PROGRAMME (ECCP), EUROPEAN COMMISSION

and regulation* (I/05/035)29. State policies affecting competition: DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL

passenger road transportation DEVELOPMENT, UNITED KINGDOM; COMPETITION

sector* (I/05/037) COMMISSION OF INDIA AND THE WORLD BANK

30. An assessment of the impact of the central NATIONAL COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT

scheme of assistance in marketing, CORPORATION (NCDC)

processing, storage and weaker section activities among cooperatives in the UD/LD states* (I/05/038)

31. Social Cost Benefit Analysis of setting up NATIONAL INFORMATICS CENTER (NIC)

community information centers (computer kiosks): A case study in India's north-east* (I/05/039)

32. India: e-Readiness Assessment Report 2006 DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY,

for states and union territories (I/05/040) MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

33. Strategies to conserve iron ore for ASSOCHAM

domestic steel production (I/06/043)34. State Development Report for the state PLANNING COMMISSION

of Uttarakhand (M/05/059)


2006 2007

Programme Sponsor35. Economic Impact of Interlinking of TASK FORCE ON INTERLINKING OF RIVERS

Rivers programme* (M/03/040)36. Unorganised and organised sectors of inland INLAND WATERWAYS AUTHORITY OF INDIA

waterways of India: a study of traffic movement in 14 states (I/06/045)

37. Telecom-Universal Service Obligations ADMINISTRATOR, UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION

(benchmarking of subsidies)* (I/02/019) FUND, DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS,

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

38. Review of subsidies drawn from the Universal ADMINISTRATOR, UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION

Service Obligation fund* (I/05/033) FUND, DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS,

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

39. Study on credit-linked Capital Subsidy Scheme MINISTRY OF SMALL SCALE INDUSTRY,

for technology upgradation (I/06/042) GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

40. Assessing the performance of IARI during INDIAN COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURAL

the tenth five-year plan, ICAR, RESEARCH (ICAR)

New Delhi (A/06/013)41. Domestic agricultural market reforms and BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION, NEW DELHI

border trade liberalisation: the case of India* (M/05/069)

42. Agricultural trade liberalisation and AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL

domestic market reforms (M/05/60) AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH (ACIAR), CANBERRA

43. A study of issues originating from the MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY,

New Draft Framework Agreement on GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Agriculture (A/05/011)44. Exports of value-added products from the AGRICULTURAL AND PROCESSED FOOD EXPORT

agricultural sector: impediments and DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (APEDA), NEW DELHI

strategies for the future (A/02/005)45. Policy reforms in the sugar sector: MINISTRY OF FOOD AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS,

implications for gur and khandsari GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

industry (A/05/004)46. India-MERCOSUR-SACU trade co-operation MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY,

in agriculture (A/06/014) GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

47. Study of fertiliser consumption and MINISTRY OF FINANCE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

agricultural output (A/07/015)48. Estimation of status of degraded forest in NARMADA VALLEY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY,

impact area of Indra Sagar project and MADHYA PRADESH

cost of afforestation of such degraded forests in Madhya Pradesh (M/05/064)

49. Climate change and the Indian economy: MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (IN

CGE modelling (M/06/092) COLLABORATION WITH GLOBAL CHANGE

PROGRAMME, JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY)

50. Economic growth and chronic CHRONIC POVERTY RESEARCH CENTRE INDIA,

poverty* (M/05/085) IIPA, NEW DELHI

51. Variations in factors influencing exit and CHRONIC POVERTY RESEARCH CENTRE

entry into poverty (M/06/093) INDIA, IIPA, NEW DELHI


2006 2007

2006 2007

Programme Sponsor52. Exploring alternative futures for agricultural INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH

knowledge, science and technology INSTITUTE, USA

(KST) (M/05/073)53. Study of drop-out rates in secondary DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION,

school education* (H/05/025) GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

54. Development of data base for HIV-AIDS UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

study* (H/06/027)55. Maternal and child health in India (H/03/016) NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH AND HUMAN

DEVELOPMENT, MARYLAND, USA

56. Parental education and child NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH AND HUMAN

outcomes (H/04/021) DEVELOPMENT, MARYLAND, USA

57. Health environment, economic NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH AND HUMAN

development* (H/03/022) DEVELOPMENT, MARYLAND, USA

58. Deployment and professional competence MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

of para teachers (H/06/026) (DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND

LITERACY), GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

59. National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT

socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS in PROGRAMME (UNDP)

India* (H/03/017)60. Impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girl child UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT

and on industry sector* (H/05/024) PROGRAMME (UNDP)

61. Safety nets and social protection in THE WORLD BANK

India* (H/04/020)62. Understanding the dynamics of poverty: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

persistent and the transient* (A/03/010) (IIPA) AND CHRONIC POVERTY RESEARCH

CENTRE (CPRC)

63. A study using household-level data* (S/03/009) THE WORLD BANK

64. Land market, land access and rural DFID-HTS DEVELOPMENT LTD., UK

development of India (S/04/013)65. Rural economic and demographic HARVARD UNIVERSITY, USA

survey 2006 (S/05/015)66. Demand for cars* (S/05/019) MARUTI UDYOG LTD.

67. Role of science and technology, higher NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES,

education and research in regional BANGALORE

socioeconomic development* (S/05/023)68. Indian Consumers Demand MCKINSEY KNOWLEDGE CENTRE PVT LTD.

AnalysisPhase- II* (S/06/024)69. Evaluation of public distribution MINISTRY OF FOOD AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS,

system I (S/05/022) GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

70. Evaluation of public distribution MINISTRY OF FOOD AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS,

system II (S/06/025) GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

71. Examining employment figures in the ALL INDIA ARTISANS AND CRAFT WORKERS

handloom sector* (M/06/088) WELFARE ASSOCIATION (AIACA)

72. Indo-Norwegian programme of ROYAL NORWEGIAN EMBASSY, NEW DELHI

institutional cooperation (N001)


Economic policies, pertaining to both thepublic and private sectors, require researchinputs to keep in step with demands created bythe present, accelerated pace of economicgrowth which is causing rapid changes ineconomic structures. While sectoral and firm-level analyses are often necessary, there is alsoneed for macroeconomic or economy-wideperspectives. The policies relating to fiscal,monetary or trade policies have as muchimpact at the overall level as they touchindividual sectors or firms. In order to addressthe diverse requirements of research, theCouncil has attempted to develop capacitiesfor analysing policies affecting the economy asa whole as well as sectors.

A set of monthly and quarterly reportsdisseminate the insights and perspectives fromCouncil’s research. Macrotrack, a monthlyjournal that provides insights from analyses ofissues relating to agriculture, industry, trade,finance and the overall economy, is now in itsninth year of publication. Quarterly Review ofthe Economy, a package of quarterly reports andseminars, is in operation for well over a decade.These provide a comprehensive review of theeconomy and include reports on the quarterlyBusiness Expectations Survey conducted bythe Council. The Business Confidence Index,also constructed by the Council, is based onthese quarterly surveys.

The Council provides assesses the Indianeconomy using macroeconomic models.Periodic surveys of the business sector, whichtrack its expectations on output, prices,

employment and investment, provideadditional insights on the state of theeconomy. The Council resumed studies on theeconomies of the states recently, after its initialinvolvement in this area in the 1970s.

Trade and investment policy issues havebecome significant in the globalising economy.India has launched a series of actions thatinclude bilateral as well as multilateral tradeand investment liberalisation. Theseagreements have an impact on specific sectorsas well for the efficient allocation of resourcesat the national level. The issues relating totrade in services are now gaining inimportance in policy debates.

The Council has developed the capabilityto examine various policy issues using a varietyof economic tools: econometric model of theeconomy and CGE models that analyse thedomestic economic issues in the context ofglobal inter-linkages.

This analytical capability has been formedthrough active collaboration with the officialagencies, scholars and universities in India andabroad.

QUARTERLY REVIEW OF THE ECONOMY

(M/05/020)

SPONSOR: Annual subscribersThis subscription-based service comprisesQuarterly Review of the Economy, a quarterlyBusiness Expectations Survey (BES), a monthlynewsletter, MacroTrack, and quarterly State ofthe Economy seminars. Quarterly Review of theEconomy aims at providing assessments on


2006 2007

GROWTH, TRADE AND ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT*


2006 2007

macroeconomic models, leading indicators,and the BES which assesses the economy togenerate a Business Confidence Index (BCI).MacroTrack provides information and analyseson major trends in the economy, industry andfinance. The State of the Economy seminarscomprise presentations by the NCAER teamand commentaries by invited experts.Subscribers to Quarterly Review and otherexperts also make presentations on specifictopics related to the Indian economy. Thecontents of Quarterly Review are available tosubscribers both electronically as well as inprinted form.PROJECT TEAM: SHASHANKA BHIDE, RAJESH CHADHA,

SANJIB POHIT, SAMBASIVA RAO, KANHAIYA SINGH, ANUSHREE

SINHA, ANIL SHARMA, K.J. KHAN AND ANJALI TANDON

EXPERT COMMENTATORS AT QUARTERLY REVIEW

SEMINARS IN 2006–07

PROF DEEPAK LAL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA,

LOS ANGELES (ULCA)

DR PARTHA MUKHOPADHYAY, CENTRE FOR POLICY RESEARCH

MR SUKUMAR MUKHOPADHYAY, INDEPENDENT EXPERT

DR ARUN GOYAL, ACADEMY OF BUSINESS STUDIES

MR SUNIL JAIN, BUSINESS STANDARD

MR T.C.A. SRINIVASA-RAGHAVAN, BUSINESS STANDARD

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

DR D.K. PANT, FITCH RATINGS

MR TUSHAR PANDEY, YES BANK

DR HIRANYA MUKHOPADHYAY, ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

DR JOSHUA FELMAN, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

INDIA POLICY FORUM (G/06/013)

SPONSORS: Tata Sons, State Bank of India, Citiand HDFC Bank

The Third India Policy Forum (IPF)conference was held at India Habitat Centre,New Delhi, on July 31 and August 1, 2006.Dr Pranab Bardhan, Professor, Institute ofInternational Studies, University of California,USA, delivered the third annual IPF lecture on“Governance Matters in Economic Reform”.The inaugural issue of the annual publication(India Policy Forum 2004, Volume1) waspublished in January 2005. The second (India

Policy Forum 200 /06, Volume 2) in July 2006;and the third volume (India Policy Forum2006/07, Volume 3) was published in July 2007.EDITORS: SUMAN BERY, BARRY BOSWORTH, AND ARVIND

PANAGARIYA

DEVOLUTION INDEX FOR PANCHAYATI RAJ

INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA (M/06/094)

SPONSOR: UNDP/ Ministry of Panchayati RajOBJECTIVES: Develop an Index of Devolution toPanchayati Raj Institutions at the state level.The index would capture the status ofdecentralisation and its progress.STATUS: The project has three stages. In thefirst stage, a conceptual framework for aworking index was developed by August 2006.In the second stage, an empirical estimate ofthe index was provided by March 2007. In thethird stage work on developing a morecomprehensive index of devolution is inprogress. One advisory committee meetingwas held in January 2007.PROJECT TEAM: SHASHANKA BHIDE, K.A. SIDDIQUI, NANDINI

ACHARYA AND K.J. KHAN

PRICE ESCALATION FORMULA FOR AIRCRAFT

(M/06/096)

SPONSOR: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited,BangaloreOBJECTIVES: To analyse the trends in prices ofselected variables that can be used to projectthe cost of manufacture of aircraft.STUDY TEAM: SHASHANKA BHIDE, K.A. SIDDIQUI,

AND K.J. KHAN

STATUS: Background papers have beensubmitted.

BUSINESS EXPECTATIONS SURVEY (M/05/068)

SPONSOR: Self-sponsored with support fromThe Economic Times and subscriptions toQuarterly Review of the EconomyOBJECTIVE: To assess the level of businessconfidence.STUDY TEAM: SHASHANKA BHIDE, SAMBASIVA RAO, AND

M.M. KHAN


STATUS: Four quarterly surveys were carried outduring the year.

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN INDIA:

STRUCTURE AND PROMOTION ENVIRONMENT*

(M/05/083)

SPONSOR: Japan External Trade Organisation( JETRO)

The study documents FDI-relatedinstitutions and procedures at the central aswell as state level. Case studies of six majorstates have been documented. These includeAndhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala,Maharashtra and West Bengal. Issues ofSpecial Economic Zones relevant for FDIhave also been discussed in detail. The studydocuments details about India’s bilateralinvestment treaties as well as bilateral tradeagreements. Details of the Foreign ExchangeManagement Act along with the ExportPromotion Capital Goods scheme (EPCG)have also been discussed in detail.PROJECT TEAM: RAJESH CHADHA, GEETHANJALI NATARAJ,

ABHISHEK AKHOURI, AND PRIYA NATARAJAN

STATUS: Completed in September 2006.

QUARTERLY REPORTS FOR THE EMBASSY OF

JAPAN, NEW DELHI * (M/06/87)

SPONSOR: Embassy of Japan, New DelhiDeveloped four quarterly reports for the

Embassy of Japan. Topics covered: “Thesituation and prospects of deficit of the centraland state governments in India – June 2006;“The price scenario in the Indian economy” –September 2006; “Economic reforms in India:towards fuller capital account convertibility” –December 2006 and “India’s free tradeagreements with ASEAN, China and Korea” –March 2007.PROJECT TEAM: RAJESH CHADHA, D.K. PANT, SHASHANKA

BHIDE, KANHAIYA SINGH, AND K. ELUMALAI

POTENTIAL OF INDO-CHINA BORDER TRADE

THROUGH NATHU LA* (M/06/90)

SPONSOR: Ministry of Commerce, Governmentof India

The present research makes a modestattempt to explore the feasibility of Indo-China border trade between Sikkim of Indiaand Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) ofChina through the Nathu La pass. The studyis based on data collected from a small fieldsurvey and from various secondary sources.The study recommends that India and Chinashould extend MFN treatment to each otherfor trading through Nathu La, thus makingNathu La a regular trading point betweenthese two countries. The issue of providingstrong physical infrastructure in this region isstrategically important since China is alreadyactive across the border.PROJECT TEAM: RAJESH CHADHA AND K. ELUMALAI

GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT IN SERVICES:

IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA* (M/06/91)


Governments around the world aresignificant purchasers of goods and services.Estimates of government procurementmarkets indicate that governmentprocurement of services would offer significantopportunities to efficient service exportersacross the world once the rules of the game areliberalised. In responding to internationalpressure, India should adopt a balancedapproach that recognises not only potentialcosts but also the potential benefits ofaccession to the Agreement on GovernmentProcurement.PROJECT TEAM: RAJESH CHADHA AND ARADHNA

AGGARWAL

EU AND JAPAN COUNTRY PAPERS (M/06/89)


The papers would provide an overview ofthe economies of the EU and Japan andsummarise India’s bilateral trade relations witheach of the two. The macroeconomicenvironments and trade policies of each of thetwo countries are highlighted. Specific trade


2006 2007

2006 2007

related issues that affect India’s interests areout. Issues relating to each country’s FTAs andWTO compliance would also be probed. Theimpact of their ODA policies towards Indiawould be analysed.PROJECT TEAM: RAJESH CHADHA, ANJALI TANDON, K.

ELUMALAI, AND SHUVADEEP CHAKRABARTY

INDIA-CHINA RTA: FEASIBILITY STUDY

(M/06/075)


NCAER would provide backgroundapplied economic research for analysis offeasibility of a China-India RTA. The toolswould include partial as well as generalequilibrium analysis.PROJECT TEAM: RAJESH CHADHA, GEETHANJALI NATARAJ,

ANJALI TANDON, K. ELUMALAI, AND SHUVADEEP CHAKRABARTY

QUARTERLY REPORTS FOR THE EMBASSY OF

JAPAN, NEW DELHI (M/06/87)

SPONSOR: Embassy of Japan, New DelhiFour quarterly reports would be written

during the current financial year. The topicswould be communicated to NCAER by theEmbassy of JapanPROJECT TEAM: RAJESH CHADHA, ANJALI TANDON, AND K.

ELUMALAI

INDIA: GLOBAL TALENT INDEX I/06/044

SPONSOR: The Neil D. Levine Institute ofInternational Relations and Commerce, StateUniversity of New York, USAOBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is toprovide an analytic overview of the high-endtalent situation in India, commenting on thesupply and demand aspects as well as longterm trends and developments. The studywould collect time series data on scientific,engineering and managerial and forecast thedemand-supply situation of qualifiedpersonnel over the next 5–10 years. Moreover,the study would assess analytically the talentpool either through surveys or field interviewsand secondary literature.

PROJECT TEAM: R. VENKATESAN, WILIMA WADHWA, SUJIT

BASU, SUTAPA DAS, AND SIDDHARTH KUMAR

SOCIAL COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF POSCO

STEEL PROJECT IN ORISSA* (I/06/041)

SPONSOR: POSCO India Ltd.OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was toassess the impact of a project on the nationaleconomy as well as those of the states. Morespecifically, the purpose of this report was toexamine whether the technology that wasadopted fitted well with the Least CostApproach framework. It assesses the impact onthe state economy through input-output tableand computes the economic internal rate ofreturn (EIRR) of the chosen least cost option.KEY FINDINGS: The EIRR for the POSCOproject works out to 16.6 per cent. Sensitivityanalysis indicates that even in the worst casescenario – sales 10 per cent lower thanestimated – the EIRR at 13.9 per cent wouldremains above the hurdle rate of 12 per cent.This implies that apart from being the leastcost technology, POSCO’s project would yieldattractive returns. The economic impact of theproject is estimated at $ 2.5 billion at the testdiscount rate of 12 per cent.

The output multiplier for iron ore is 1.40while that for steel is 2.36. In other words,every Rs 1 lakh worth of output in the iron oresector would result in Rs 1.4 lakh of output(including the Rs 1 lakh output of iron ore) onthe economy. Similarly, for each Rs 1 lakhoutput in the iron and steel sector, theeconomy would derive an output of Rs 2.36lakh. The employment multiplier for iron oreis 0.35 and for steel it is 0.69.PROJECT TEAM: R. VENKATESAN, WILIMA WADHWA, M.R.

SALUJA, SUJIT BASU, AND RASHMI RASTOGI

OUTCOME: Final report submitted in October2006.

STUDY ON MACROECONOMIC IMPACT OF HIGH

OIL PRICES* (M/05/072)

SPONSOR: Petroleum Federation of IndiaOBJECTIVE: The study attempts to examine the


impact of international crude oil prices on thedomestic economy in terms of aggregateoutput and price based on past data. The studyprovides a comparative analysis with respect toa few selected developing economies, besidesIndia. Secondly, the study also gauges themacroeconomic impact of international oilprice rise on the domestic economy in greaterdetail for the Indian case. It captures theinterlinkages between different sectors of theeconomy and the oil sector more explicitly inthe framework of an input output framework.KEY FINDINGS: We find that large increases inthe international price of oil hits oil importingdeveloping countries significantly. Despite thecontrolled nature of domestic petroleum sectorprices, our findings suggest that the economywould suffer in the long run once the domesticprice level is not allowed to react tointernational prices in a market-driven systemrather than by absorbing the shock internally.Increase of external sector deficit due to higheroil price would produce negativerepurcussions, on the fiscal position of thegovernment.PROJECT TEAM: ANUSHREE SINHA, PURNA CHANDRA

PARIDA, POONAM MUNJAL, PRAVEEN SACHDEVA, SUDESH

BALA, AND SADHNA SINGH

DATE OF COMPLETION: April 26, 2006OUTCOME: PetroFed has posted the report on itswebsite.

STUDY ON USAID INDIA STATE FISCAL

MANAGEMENT REFORM, PHASE-I* (M/05/071)

SPONSOR: Bearing Point Global Operations,New DelhiOBJECTIVES: To build a database in SQL Sever2000. The database needs to be comprehensiveenough so that the fiscal policy analysis cells(FPACs) of the state are able to use thisdatabase in order to:

• Formulate comprehensive overviews of

macroeconomic conditions for the states;

• Make projections of major macroeconomic

variables, e.g., State Domestic Product

(SDP), sectoral outputs, employment by sectors,

consumption etc. for a maximum of next three years

using trend analysis.

KEY FINDINGS:

• Projection of Non-Plan and Planexpenditure and tax revenues throughtrend analysis

• Projection sectoral-level output, valueadded and employment

PROJECT TEAM: ANUSHREE SINHA, M.R. SALUJA, SAURABH

BANDOPADHYAY, PURNA CHANDRA PARIDA, POONAM MUNJAL,

RAKESH KUMAR SRIVASTAVA, PRAVEEN SACHDEVA, SUDESH

BALA, AND SADHNA SINGH

DATE OF COMPLETION: October 26, 2007OUTCOME: Report submitted to Bearing PointOffice.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF JAN KEROSENE

PARIYOJANA (JKP)* (M/05/079)

SPONSOR: Petroleum Planning and AnalysisCell (PPAC), Ministry of Petroleum andNatural Gas

The project involves a ‘concurrentdiagnostic study’ to help in fine tune theimplementation of the JKP and is an impactassessment study on its performance. Theimpact assessment study would use a set ofindicators that cover the processes for ensuringadequate supplies to the PDS and monitoringsystems that ensure proper targeting of thebenefits and actual impact on the intendedbeneficiaries. The study is being conducted onthe basis of ‘with and without’ methodology ofimpact assessment surveys. For these surveys, asample of blocks is taken up from among thoseinvolved when the pilot scheme isimplemented. In all, 150 blocks have beentaken up for the survey. Two villages, eachfrom 150 adjoining blocks without JKP, arealso surveyed.PROJECT TEAM: DEVENDRA KUMAR PANT, SHASHANKA

BHIDE, P.K. ROY, RAJESH JAISWAL, RUPINDER KAUR, RASHMI

RASTOGI, TEJINDER SINGH, LAL MANI PANDE, R.S. LANDGE,

AND J.M. CHAWLA


2006 2007

2006 2007

IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE SHG-

BANK LINKAGE (M/06/095)

SPONSOR: German Development Corporation,New DelhiOBJECTIVES:

• Assessment of the impact due to participation in

SHG on economic activities, household welfare and

social empowerment of members

• Comparative assessment of the quality of the groups

promoted by different self-help promotion

institutions (SHPI), including the changes over time

in group members’ participation and behavior, the

quantity and quality of financial services and their

sustainability; identification of constraints, if any

• Identification/assessment of the extent of capacity

building/training needs of SHG members for

undertaking income-generating activities

• Preparation of strategies for further strengthening

of group cohesion within SHGs

• Study/assessment of the factors affecting the

sustainability of SHGs and identification of

constraints, if any

• Preparation of recommendations/strategies for the

further strengthening of the sustainability of SHGs

and the related linkage banking approach

PROJECT TEAM: ANUSHREE SINHA, S.K. DWIVEDI, P.K. ROY,

RAMAMANI SUNDAR, POONAM MUNJAL, RAKESH KUMAR

SRIVASTAVA, AND SADHNA SINGH

ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF INDIA-CHILE FTA*

(M/05/074)

SPONSOR: Ministry of Commerce and Industry OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was toanalyse the potential implication of a FTAwith Chile using the revealed comparativeadvantage methodology.FINDINGS: The study primarily identifiescommodities at 6th digit trade codes in whichIndia has an advantage over Chile. Our studyindicates that the positive gains accrue to bothIndia and Chile if both the countries enter intoa FTA agreement.PROJECT TEAM: SANIJB POHIT

PREPARATION OF USER-FRIENDLY DOCUMENT-

MASTER PLAN FOR DELHI 2021* (H/04/018)

SPONSOR: Delhi Development AuthorityThe objective of the study is to facilitate

the process of finalisation of Delhi’s MasterPlan in a user-friendly format using graphicsand explanation of technical terms andconcepts. Once MPD- 2021 is adoptedthrough various pieces of legislation, theCouncil would help in preparing briefdissemination documents highlighting thesalient features of the Master Plan affectingthe common citizen and would undertakemedia work through power pointpresentations.PROJECT TEAM: SAUMEN MAJUMDAR, D.B. GUPTA,

AND S.K. BATHLA

TOWARDS ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE OF

THE DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

ORGANISATION (DRDO) PHASE I: FRAMEWORK

OF ANALYSIS* (M/05/084)

SPONSOR: Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO)OBJECTIVES: Phase-I objective includesdefining the performance criteria,development of methodology and assessmentof the availability of the information.KEY FINDINGS: It is observed that the effects ofthe DRDO operation are too far and widethan may be comprehended by just looking atthe finished products vis-à-vis orders placedon it given the “public goods” nature of theR&D activities of DRDO. In the process ofDRDO research and resulting importsubstitution, huge spill-over effects aregenerated through vendors, production unitsand users leading to income and employmentmultipliers. In order to capture all such effects,a comprehensive study utilising a number ofmethods is proposed.PROJECT TEAM: KANHAIYA SINGH AND S.K. MONDAL


ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF THE

PERFORMANCE OF DEFENCE RESEARCH: CASE

STUDIES (M/06/097)

SPONSOR: Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO), Ministry of DefenceOBJECTIVES: Phase-I objective includesdefining the performance criteria,development of methodology and assessmentof the availability of the information. Theobjective of the final study is to carry out anassessment of the operational effectiveness ofDRDO in meeting the following objectivesenshrined in its vision and mission statement:(1) make India prosperous by establishingworld class science and technology; (2)optimise combat effectiveness of defenceservices through product development andtechnological solutions; and (3) developinfrastructure and quality manpower towardsmaking India prosperous and self sufficient.PROJECT TEAM: KANHAIYA SINGH AND S.K. MONDAL

STATUS: Initiated.

BIO-FUEL POLICY ISSUES STUDY (M/06/098)

SPONSOR: Ministry of New and RenewableEnergy OBJECTIVES:

• To develop a methodology for working out the MSP

(minimum support price) for non-edible oilseeds of

Jatropha and Pongamia and other non-edible

oilseeds, taking into account the package of

practices being presently adopted

• To determine the MSP for non-edible oilseeds of

Jatropha and Pongamia and other non-edible

oilseeds taking into account the package of

practices being presently adopted

• To examine the existing tax structure including

excise duty, custom duty for import of bio-diesel;

plant and machinery, central and state VAT, etc.

• To examine the actual fiscal and financial incentives

required, if any, for production and marketing of bio-

diesel to make it competitive with the selling price of

diesel

• To propose special incentives for promotion of bio-

diesel production

• To identify exiting fiscal distortions in the production

and sale of ethanol fuel

• To propose special incentives for production and use

of ethanol as a fuel in the transport sector

• Assessment of employment potential in the bio-fuel

sector

• To workout the bio-diesel purchase price based on

demand and supply constraints and MSP

• To develop and validate computer models for

determining price of bio-fuels, namely bio-diesel

and bio-ethanol, under various assumptions and

scenarios.

PROJECT TEAM: SANJIB POHIT AND J S BEDI

STUDY OF BEER INDUSTRY IN INDIA*

(M/05/080)

SPONSOR: SAB-MillerThe objective of the study is to estimate

the impact of taxation on the volume ofconsumption of beer in the different states ofIndia. The excise incidence is placed in aLaffer curve framework, which, given the priceand income and cross sensitivity of demand,leads to higher volume of tax revenuerealisation with a relatively lower level of exciseincidence.

The methodology of the study is chiefly aneconometric analysis of the time series datarelating to volume of consumption with price,income along with cross price sensitivity ofdemand. The state-level price and incomesensitivity are high. However, variation in theresponsiveness to prices and income levelsvaries from state to state.PROJECT TEAM: SAURABH BANDYOPADHYAY, R.

VENKATESAN, AND SWATI BAJAJ


2006 2007

2006 2007


SUMAN K. BERY, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, NCAER WITHRUTH LEVINE, ACTINGPRESIDENT, CENTRE FORGLOBAL DEVELOPMENT,AND RAJAT GUPTA, SENIORPARTNER, MCKINSEY & CO.,AND OTHERS ON APRIL 7,2006 IN THE COMMITTEEROOM, NCAER, NEW DELHI.

S.L.RAO, CHAIRMAN,INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL &ECONOMIC CHANGE,SHARING HIS VIEWS WITHRICHARD PORTES,PROFESSOR, LONDONBUSINESS SCHOOL, ANDGAJENDRA HALDEA,ADVISOR TO DEPUTYCHAIRMAN, PLANNINGCOMMISSION, DURING AWORKSHOP ON PUBLICPRIVATE PARTNERSHIP ININFRASTRUCTUREINDUSTRIES ANDREGULATION (EU PROJECT)ON APRIL 10–11, 2006, ATHOTEL TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI.

MS POONAM MUNJAL,(NCAER) INTERACTING WITHSELF-HELP GROUP (SHG)MEMBERS AT BADSHAHPURVILLAGE IN DIST. GURGAON,HARYANA, DURING THEFIELD VISIT FOR THEPROJECT." IMPACT ANDSUSTAINABILITY OF THE SHGBANK LINKAGE (2002)".

The critical role of infrastructure in enablingand sustaining fast economic growth is nowwell recognised. The estimates of financialrequirements to build infrastructure thatwould be necessary for accelerating India’seconomic growth to an annual 10 per cent arevery large. Building this infrastructure wouldrequire synergies between public and privateapproaches. The new investments must beefficient and meet the emerging needs fully.

Over the years, the Council has produced anumber of important studies and reports onIndia’s infrastructure covering domestic fueluse, use of non-conventional energy, regulatoryframework for electricity generation andsupply, telecommunication and transportation.The Council has established a Centre forInfrastructure Studies and Regulation. Wehave completed a project focussing onregulation and competition in infrastructureindustries, which was funded by the EU-IndiaEconomic Cross-Cultural Programme of theEuropean Commission. The project is acollaboratiive effort of the Council and a groupof European research institutions led by theCentre for Economic Policy Research.

The Centre for Infrastructure Studies andRegulation has carried out a series of studies inthe telecommunications sector, focussing onUniversal Service Obligation. Ruralinfrastructure issues have now emerged as akey factor in strategies to further ruraldevelopment. The Council has completed animportant programme on rural infrastructurethat reviews the status of these services and

suggests lessons from various approaches torural infrastructure development.

Transportation and tourism are the othertwo areas of infrastructure in which theCouncil has made significant contributions toan understanding of the current status of theservices and policy choices. Besides thephysical infrastructure sectors, development ofthe industrial sectors has been an importantarea of research for us. The studies on e-readiness in the states to facilitate e-governance are pioneering.

Surveys of household expenditure provideimportant data to understand the role ofdifferent sectors in terms of their impact onthe economy. The Market Information Surveyof Households has generated a large databaseon consumer purchases of major consumergoods across income groups, states, majorcities and urban and rural areas.

EFFICIENCY, EQUITY AND ACCESS IN INDIAN

INFRASTRUCTURE: BLENDING COMPETITION

AND REGULATION* (I/05/035)

SPONSOR: EU-India Economic Cross CulturalProgramme, European Commission, SouthAsia Office.OBJECTIVES: The project aims to combine theanalytical experience of Europe on issuesrelating to regulation and competition and theemerging practical experience in India inachieving private sector participation ininfrastructure projects. The project attemptedto foster collaborative efforts betweenNCAER and European partner institutions to



2006 2007

INVESTMENT CLIMATE, PHYSICAL AND

ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE*

2006 2007

achieve this objective. At a broader level, theproject provided opportunities for interactionfor European scholars to learn more aboutIndia’s economic policy challenges and forIndian policy community, academiccommunity and others to learn from Europeanresearch.KEY FINDINGS: The project highlighted theissues involved in creating conditions forinfrastructure development in India. The workunder the project through the working papers,workshops and conference captured thediversity of sectors with respect to economicregulation. It highlighted different sets ofmotivating forces underlying reforms such asprivatisation in the infrastructure sectors. Thespecial circumstance of a federal politicalstructure provides an important comparisonwith the European Union’s experience withreforms in the infrastructure sectors.PROJECT TEAM: SHASHANKA BHIDE, SAURABH

BANDYOPADHYAY, SUMAN BERY, RAJESH CHADHA, SAMANTAK

DAS, SAUMEN MAJUMDAR, DRIPTO MUKHOPADHYAY, SANJIB

POHIT, SAMBASIVA RAO, PAYAL MALIK, S.K.N. NAIR, NIDHI

DHAMIJA, INDRANIL DE, AND NANDINI ACHARYA

DATE OF COMPLETION: December 2006.OUTCOME: Two workshops and one conferencewere held in New Delhi during the course ofthe project. These activities receivedpartnerships from organisations other thanEuropean Commission. The second workshopunder the project was held in April 2006 incollaboration with Public-PrivateInfrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF),Washington, DC, Infrastructure DevelopmentFinance Company (IDFC) Limited, andConfederation of Indian Industries. The finalconference was held in December 2006 incollaboration with the Planning Commissionand UTI Bank. The Policy Round-Table inHelsinki was organised by the Centre forEconomic Policy Research, London, incollaboration with Nokia, in Helsinki inOctober 2006.

STATE POLICIES AFFECTING COMPETITION:

PASSENGER ROAD TRANSPORTATION SECTOR*

(I/05/037)

SPONSORS: Department for InternationalDevelopment, United Kingdom, CompetitionCommission of India and the World BankOBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to isto advocate enhanced competition andinstitutional reforms to bring about greatercompetition within the passenger transportsector across the states of India. The reportassesses the economic benefits related tocompetition, and its impact on profit,efficiency, market structure etc., through survey of operators and thereby to throw new light onthe existing state-level transport policies.KEY FINDINGS: The universal experience upholdsthe validity of competitive tendering as ameans of selecting the right private sectoroperator for public transportation operations.On the other hand, from internal learning itcan be said that competition enhancingpolicies could be the main catalyst inRajasthan for its efficient performancecompared to its affluent neighbourMaharashtra. Similarly, Orissa’s STC hasbenefitted from competition while its relativelyaffluent neighbour, West Bengal, has laggedbehind. In the case of non-commercialmarkets, the concept of Universal ServiceObligation ensures that basic services areavailable to all.PROJECT TEAM: R. VENKATESAN, SIMRIT KAUR, SUJIT BASU,

RASHMI RASTOGI, DIVYA SATIJA, V.R. PANCHMUKHI, AND WILIMA

WADHWA

DATE OF COMPLETION: April 2007 OUTCOME: Final report submitted.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF THE

CENTRAL SCHEME OF ASSISTANCE IN

MARKETING, PROCESSING, STORAGE AND

WEAKER SECTION ACTIVITIES AMONG

COOPERATIVES IN THE UD/LD STATES*

(I/05/038)


SPONSOR: National Cooperative DevelopmentCorporation (NCDC)OBJECTIVES: The objective is to study theimpact of the central scheme of assistancewhich has been in operation for the past 30years with a view to assess, at ground level, thechanges brought about in the income levels ofthe rural population through cooperatives andrecommending changes required in thescheme to improve upon deficiencies of thescheme for achieving its objectives.KEY FINDINGS: Based on the analysis, it wasfound that the UD/LD scheme has, by andlarge, had a positive impact on thedevelopment of the cooperative sector inUD/LD states. It has definitely resulted in thecreation of infrastructure for the cooperativesand provided them the necessary wherewithalfor business activities. It was felt that incomeand employment generation have resulted withthe functioning of the cooperative.PROJECT TEAM: R. VENKATESAN, VEENA NABAR (EX-CHIEF

DIRECTOR, NCDC), SAURABH BANDYOPADHYAY, CH.

PURNACHANDRA RAO, SHANKAR PRASAD SARMA, P.S.

RAMAKRISHNAN, AND RASHMI RASTOGI

DATE OF COMPLETION: Draft report submitted inNovember 2006.

SOCIAL COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF SETTING

UP COMMUNITY INFORMATION CENTERS

(COMPUTER KIOSKS): A CASE STUDY IN INDIA’S

NORTH-EAST* (I/05/039)

SPONSOR: National Informatics Center (NIC)OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was tocarry out a systematic evaluation of theoperations of the community informationcentres (CICs) in the north-eastern region ofIndia, as well as the assessment of their impacton society. The study also aims to analyse thefinancial viability of information kiosks andsuggest ways and strategies to improve theirfinancial viability and enhance social profitbased on the observations of users and non-users of CICs.KEY FINDINGS: The analysis reveals that socialbenefit does occur if the CICs are located in

the backward regions. However, the financialinternal rate of return is negative, thus makingviability gap funding essential. Thegovernment may consider PPP, especially“Lite” PPP, as an option to reduce the viabilitygap funding where government funding is inplace and informal relationships are forgedbetween the private partner and NIC/GoI.Other ways in which financial viability couldbe improved without PPP have beensuggested.PROJECT TEAM: R. VENKATESAN, WILIMA WADHWA, RUPA

MALIK, KANIKA KALRA, RAJEEV NARAYAN, AND Y.K. TANWAR

EXTERNAL TEAM: Dr. R.K. Baisya (Prof. IIT,Delhi)DATE OF COMPLETION: April 2007 OUTCOME: Report has been published inJanuary 2007.

INDIA: E-READINESS ASSESSMENT REPORT

2006 FOR STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES

(I/05/040)

SPONSOR: Department of InformationTechnology, Ministry of Communications andInformation TechnologyOBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was toassess and rank the states in India on the basisof their e-readiness based on primary survey.In the current report, time series data has beenanalysed to understand how states haveadopted strategies/action plan to improve thenetwork readiness index.PROJECT TEAM: R. VENKATESAN, WILIMA WADHWA, M.R.

SALUJA, RUPA MALIK, AND SUTAPA DAS

STATUS: Ongoing.

STRATEGIES TO CONSERVE IRON ORE FOR

DOMESTIC STEEL PRODUCTION (I/06/043)

SPONSOR: ASSOCHAM

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is toanalyse issues related to conservation of ironore for domestic steel production andstrategies to minimise economic costs toaffected stakeholders, in the processmaximising net economic gains. The study would analyse the socio-economic


2006 2007


2006 2007

impact of the proposed steel domesticproduction/expansion on state economies ofeastern India-Chattisgarh, Jharkhand andOrissa; and Karnataka.PROJECT TEAM: R. VENKATESAN, WILIMA WADHWA, M.R.

SALUJA, SUJIT BASU, SUTAPA DAS, POOJA JAIN, AND

GAGAN PAHWA

STATE DEVELOPMENT REPORT FOR THE STATE

OF UTTARAKHAND (M/05/059)

SPONSOR: Planning CommissionOBJECTIVES: Preparation of full reportcontaining 10 chapters and an executivesummary.KEY FINDINGS: In recent years, Uttarakhand hasaccelerated its pace of growth, which hashelped it close the gap with the nationalaverage. There has been a clear shift in thesector-wise contribution to the GSDP growthof Uttarakhand. Unlike the period prior to1999–2000, most of the recent growth hascome from the secondary and services sectors.The secondary sector, which became asignificant contributor during the late 1990s,contributed between 31 and 50 per cent of thegrowth during 2001–04. This appearsimpressive when compared with the all-Indiaaverage. However, Uttarakhand is still predominantly agricultural. The revealedcomparative advantage of Uttarakhand in theprimary sector is widely spread across major components of agriculture, forestry andmining. This is a clear advantage in terms ofself-sufficiency in food production andconsumption, but the per capita production isnot enough to export to other regions in largequantities. Growth has also been poorer inthese sectors in comparison to the nationalaverage.PROJECT TEAM: KANHAIYA SINGH, PRADEEP KUMAR

SRIVASTAVA, S.K.N. NAIR, S.S. RAO, RACHNA SHARMA, AND Y.

VENKATARAMANA

STATUS: Draft report submitted.

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INTERLINKING OF

RIVERS PROGRAMME* (M/03/040)

SPONSOR: Task Force on Interlinking of RiversOBJECTIVES: River interlinking is a majorprogramme endeavour to create additionalstorage facilities and move water from water-surplus regions to drought-prone onesthrough inter-basin transfers. It is expected toprovide additional irrigation in about 35million hectares and add to the powergeneration capacity by 30, 000 MW. Thisstudy evaluates the short and medium-termimpacts of the project.PROJECT TEAM: DEVENDRA KUMAR PANT, S.K.N. NAIR,

KHURSHEED ANWAR SIDDIQUI, POONAM MUNJAL, MRINALINI

KAUR SAPRA, AND NUPUR PANDE

UNORGANISED AND ORGANISED SECTORS OF

INLAND WATERWAYS OF INDIA: A STUDY OF

TRAFFIC MOVEMENT IN 14 STATES (I/06/045)

SPONSOR: Inland Waterways Authority ofIndiaOBJECTIVE: Inland water transport (IWT) isenergy efficient, economic and environment-friendly. It has the potential to serve as analternate/supplementary mode oftransportation. India has a large number ofrivers, canals, backwaters, creeks and lakeswith the potential for development as efficientwaterways networks.

On earlier occasions too, NCAER hadworked on the development of infrastructureand services in the IWT sector. In order todevelop and maintain waterways and to attractprivate participation, NCAER is currentlystudying traffic data on movement of trafficboth by organised and unorganised sectors ofinland waterways transport, originating andculminating in 14 states.PROJECT TEAM: R. VENKATESAN, R.K. SHUKLA, WILIMA

WADHWA, AND M.R. SALUJA

TELECOM-UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATIONS

(BENCHMARKING OF SUBSIDIES)* (I/02/019)

SPONSOR: Administrator, Universal ServiceObligation Fund, Department ofTelecommunications, Government of IndiaBACKGROUND: As part of the reforms in the


2006 2007

telecom sector, a non-lapsable UniversalService Obligations Fund has been set upthrough central legislation with the aim ofensuring “universal access” by fundingunrenumerative telecom services in rural areas.OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE: To support the selectionprocess of “universal service providers” fordifferent services and regions through atransparent bidding process. The support tothis selection activity is provided throughdetermining the fair amounts of subsidy,calculated on the basis of economic andtechnical data, which are then used as“benchmarks” for bids.PROJECT TEAM: S.K.N. NAIR AND SAMBASIVA RAO

OUTCOME: With the finalisation of“benchmarking” of subsidies for providingrural private phones (DELs) in 1,685identified unremunerative “service areas” inthe country, the work has been completed forall six categories of services taken up forsubsidy support. The first five reports havebeen accepted and implemented by the USOFund. The last report, dealing with subsidybenchmarking of the “pilot” scheme for settingup rural public tele-information centres, wassubmitted in June 2005.It is now complete.

REVIEW OF SUBSIDIES DRAWN FROM THE

UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION FUND*

(I/05/033)

SPONSOR: Administrator, Universal ServiceObligation Fund, Department ofTelecommunications, Government of IndiaPROJECT TEAM: S.K.N. NAIR AND SAMBASIVA RAO

OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE: Develop a mid-termreview of the subsidies extended to the serviceproviders of rural telephony in respect ofvillage public telephones (VPTS); torecommend appropriate revision of thesubsidy benchmarks for each service area inthe country.

STUDY ON CREDIT LINKED CAPITAL SUBSIDY

SCHEME FOR TECHNOLOGY UPGRADATION

(I/06/042)

SPONSOR: Ministry of Small Scale Industry,Government of IndiaOBJECTIVES: The purpose of this evaluation isto provide an indication of how successful theabove two schemes mentioned under D1 (seeAppendix A) have been in achieving theobjectives with which they wereconceptualised. Keeping in view the TOR ofthe study as stated in Appendix B, we submitthe methodology.PROJECT TEAM: ANUSHREE SINHA, RUPINDER KAUR,

POONAM MUNJAL, R. SUNDAR, AND SADHNA SINGH

NCAER, PARISILA BHAWAN, DURING THE GOLDEN JUBILEE YEAR.


2006 2007

The importance of a dynamic agriculturalsector in achieving the goals of rapid economicgrowth and development has been recognisedin the calls for ‘inclusive growth’. While theimportance of agriculture in terms of itscontribution to the overall GDP has declinedover the years to reach 20 per cent in 2006–07,its role as provider of livelihood to theunskilled cannot be overlooked. The ruraleconomy, where about 60 per cent of India’spopulation is concentrated, depends onagriculture as a driving force.

However, the prospects of agriculture areintertwined with the growth of the non-agricultural sectors. The linkages between thenon-agricultural sectors and agriculture arestrong. It is also important to recognise thatnon-agricultural sectors would need togenerate far more employment opportunitiesthan has been the case so far in order to enabletransfer of labour from agriculture to non-agricultural sectors so that productivity ofagriculture may increase.

There are new opportunities andchallenges confronting agriculture with theexpanding scope of globalisation. India wouldnot remain isolated from these changes andmust exploit opportunities in order tocontribute to global development. Tradepolicies for agriculture would have to bealigned with the changing structure of our owneconomy and also the potential for trade. Theemergence of the organised sector in retailtrade, including trade in food articles and foodproducts, is a new opportunity for agricultureto seek market expansion as the new trend is

expected to improve efficiency in distribution.Over the years, the Council has carried out

a large number of studies in different areas ofthe sector. The studies have utilised bothprimary data as well as quantitative models forthe analysis. The quantitative models havebeen applied for trade policy analysis in thepartial as well as computable generalequilibrium framework.

ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE OF INDIAN

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (IARI)

DURING THE TENTH FIVE-YEAR PLAN,

(A/06/013)

SPONSOR: Indian Council of AgriculturalResearch (ICAR)OBJECTIVES:

• To assess the performance of the premier Indian

agricultural research institute

• To identify the constraints in achieving the goals.

STATUS: The project design envisaged analysisof information on inputs, processes, outputand impact for assessing performance andconstraints. Questionnaires were designed tocollect information from samples of researchprojects of IARI and the views of its scientists,students and clients drawn from agroindustries. Finally, focus group discussionswere held with the scientists and senioradministrators of IARI. Two regional researchstations of IARI were also visited by the studyteam for assessment of their performance.PROJECT TEAM: SHASHANKA BHIDE, D.B. GUPTA, VINITA

DEODHAR, RAJESH KUMAR, RAKESH RAJENDRAN,

AND S.K. BATHLA



2006 2007

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT*

2006 2007

DOMESTIC AGRICULTURAL MARKET REFORMS

AND BORDER TRADE LIBERALISATION: THE

CASE OF INDIA* (M/05/069)

SPONSOR: British High Commission, NewDelhiOBJECTIVES: India’s agricultural sector isimportant for its contribution to employment,livelihoods, food security and povertyalleviation. India’s resource endowment, interms of arable land, microclimatic variety,sun, water, and farming skills, make it apotentially competitive supplier of agriculturalproducts to world markets. Domestic andinternational liberalisation should complementeach other. India needs to play an even moreeffective role in multilateral forums. Thiswould entail the clarity of goals, membershipof strategic alliances and willingness to offerconcessions. Of the three “pillars” distortinginternational agricultural trade, enhancedmarket access is of greatest importance toIndia. Greater integration with liberalisedworld markets could be of immense benefit tothe incomes of India’s farmers, provided it isaccompanied by well-designed crop andincome adjustment schemes and liberaliseddomestic markets.PROJECT TEAM: RAJESH CHADHA, SHASHANKA BHIDE,

DEVENDER PRATAP, ANJALI TANDON, ABHISHEK AKHOURI, AND

R.S. LANGDE

EXTERNAL TEAM: SISIRA JAYASURIYA, DONALD MACLAREN,

AND STEVE MCCORRISTON, ANUSUA DE, AND HONEY KARUN

AGRICULTURAL TRADE LIBERALISATION AND

DOMESTIC MARKET REFORMS (M/05/60)

SPONSOR: Australian Centre for InternationalAgricultural Research (ACIAR), Canberra OBJECTIVES: This project is in collaborationwith Melbourne University. It examines theneed for liberalising India’s domestic trade inagricultural goods and relates this to its bordertrade liberalisation. The overall objective is todevelop a set of policy recommendations thatenhances productivity and the competitivenessof the agricultural sector so that Indian farmers

and consumers are able to gain from theongoing process of integration of domestic andinternational markets.PROJECT TEAM: RAJESH CHADHA, SHASHANKA BHIDE,

DEVENDER PRATAP, ANJALI TANDON, ABHISHEK AKHOURI,

PARMOD KUMAR, AND K. ELUMALAI

EXTERNAL TEAM: SISIRA JAYASURIYA AND DONALD

MACLAREN

A STUDY OF ISSUES ORIGINATING FROM THE

NEW DRAFT FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON

AGRICULTURE (A/05/011)

SPONSOR: Ministry of Commerce and Industry,Government of IndiaOBJECTIVES: This programme builds on the pastwork that the Council had undertaken tosupport the Ministry of Commerce on tradenegotiations under the AoA. While the July2004 draft framework appears to be fairlycomprehensive in dealing with severalweaknesses that exist in the current AoA, thereexist ambiguities and weaker provisions in thenew modalities that may undermine many ofthe positives originating from the draftframework. To be fair, the provision of exportsubsidies under the three pillars are fairlyexplicit. However, in domestic support andmarket access there are several issues needingdetailed research for taking an objective viewto fulfil the mandate of the agreement andsafeguard genuine concerns.PROJECT TEAM: ANIL SHARMA, AJAY SAHU, AND

LAXMI JOSHI

STATUS: Ongoing.

EXPORTS OF VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS FROM

THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR: IMPEDIMENTS

AND STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE (A/02/005)

SPONSOR: Agricultural and Processed FoodExport Development Authority (APEDA),New DelhiOBJECTIVES: Despite relatively higher growth inthe exports of processed products in recentyears, their level in total exports continues tobe very low. This study was taken up to


quantify value addition in selected agriculturalproducts and the extent of additional expensesthat the exporters of these products have tobear due to the lack of infrastructure and otherconstraints. It also suggests levels of assistancethat would be required to compensateexporters after taking into account the degreeof processing and value addition made in eachof the selected products.PROJECT TEAM: ANIL SHARMA AND PRAMOD KUMAR


POLICY REFORMS IN THE SUGAR SECTOR:

IMPLICATIONS FOR GUR AND KHANDSARI

INDUSTRY (A/05/004)

SPONSOR: Ministry of Food and ConsumerAffairs, Government of IndiaOBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is toexamine the current status of the gur andkhandsari industry and suggest policy optionsto address the problems that would arise fromliberalisation of the sugar industry.Accordingly, the precise goals of the study areto estimate the size and output of khandsariand gur units in selected sugarcane growingstates and examine the systems of cane supply,pricing, rates of recovery and economics ofproduction.PROJECT TEAM: ANIL SHARMA, TEJINDER SINGH, AJAY

SAHU, JATINDER BEDI, ANIMESH KUMAR, AND SUNIL KUMAR


INDIA-MERCOSUR-SACU TRADE COOPERATION

IN AGRICULTURE (A/06/014)

SPONSORS: Ministry of Commerce andIndustry, Government of IndiaOBJECTIVES: The study forms a part of the workthat has been assigned to three institutions –NCAER, ICRIER and RIS – on the Study forIndia-MERCOSUR-SACU TradeAgreement. NCAER has been assigned thework on the agricultural sector. The studyinvolves examining current status and recenttrends in agricultural trade between India-MERCOSUR and India-SACU, areas ofcomparative advantage, existence of tariff and

non-tariff barriers and other issues related toforming a regional trading agreement.PROJECT TEAM: ANIL SHARMA AND AJAY SAHU

STUDY OF FERTILISER CONSUMPTION AND

AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT (A/07/015)

SPONSORS: Ministry of Finance, Governmentof IndiaOBJECTIVES: In recent years, there has been aconcern that the rising fertiliser consumptionis not having the same productivity impact asin the past. The fertiliser subsidy regime hasalso witnessed considerable changes in termsof the method of determination of subsidylevels – price caps in some cases and group-based pricing for others rather than return oninvestment. The price policies have broughtabout significant changes in the prices ofindividual nutrients. The objective of thecurrent study is to assess the impact of fertiliserconsumption on agricultural output based onavailable data on fertiliser consumption, cropoutput and other related variables at the stateand national levels.PROJECT TEAM: ANIL SHARMA AND LAXMI JOSHI

ESTIMATION OF STATUS OF DEGRADED FOREST

IN IMPACT AREA OF INDRA SAGAR PROJECT AND

COST OF AFFORESTATION OF SUCH DEGRADED

FORESTS IN MADHYA PRADESH (M/05/064)

SPONSOR: Narmada Valley DevelopmentAuthority, Madhya PradeshOBJECTIVES: The objectives of the assignmentbroadly covers the following. NCAER willprepare a report with three deliverables asmentioned below:

• Defining degraded forests

• Estimation of the quantity of the degraded forests in

the Project Impact Area (PIA) of Indra Sagar Project

(ISP)

• Estimation of the cost of afforestation of thus

estimated equivalent degraded forest land in

Project Impact Area (PIA) of ISP

PROJECT TEAM: KANHAIYA SINGH, Y.K. TANWAR, AND R.R.

CHAUHAN


2006 2007

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE INDIAN ECONOMY: A

CGE MODELLING EXERCISE (M/06/092)

SPONSOR: Ministry of Environment andForests (in collaboration with Global ChangeProgramme, Jadavpur University) OBJECTIVES: The proposed study addressedthree key issues. First, we examine theeconomic impact of climate change on theIndian economy with and without agriculturaltrade liberalisation. Second, evaluated thecurrent set of policy options for curbing carbon(GHG) emissions. Finally, explored futurepolicy options (which would arise if thedeveloping countries accept emissionreduction commitments and participate in theinternational emissions trading regime) forGHG mitigation. The project attempts to

attain the above objectives in the followingway:

• Through building up the modelling framework

based on the capacity of Indian researchers and

institutes

• Through integration of India-specific behavioural

parameters developed from an Indian database and

econometric model into the CGE modelling

framework

• Through development of a global modellinked to the India-specific mode.The proposed modelling activity would

lead to a model that would not be a black boxand the researchers would have all flexibility tomodify it and adjust it to meet changing policyneeds.PROJECT TEAM: SANJIB POHIT

2006 2007


What enables adjustments by the householdsto the changing economic structure andgrowth? Today, households are faced withchoices that determine their consumption,savings and incomes. New employmentopportunities, declining prospects in somesectors and technological changes are thechanging realities that households andindividuals need to contend with. Somepopulation groups are able to make greaterprogress than others in exploiting newopportunities. Public policies to ensure thatthere are social safety nets for thedisadvantaged and the poor depend oninformation and analysis of the changes thatare taking place in the various parameters wehave noted above.

The Council has retained a strong focus onassessing the socio-economic status ofhouseholds through the various stages ofIndia’s economic development. The work inhealth, education and employment has been anongoing interest in our research programme.

The Council has made importantcontributions in this area over the years bycarrying out surveys of expenditure andincomes of households. The expendituresurveys have provided profiles of consumersand consumer purchases, mobility ofhouseholds across income groups and theirpatterns across economic-demographiccharacteristics. Some of the surveys are uniquefor their longitudinal nature and some haveextensive coverage in that they provideinformation at the state-level, both for ruraland urban areas.

A large programme on monitoring humandevelopment has been an important activityfor the Council for about a decade now.Presently, it focusses on maternal and childhealth issues. The Council has developed acapacity for designing and implementingstatistically -valid, large and small samples forsocio-economic surveys.

ECONOMIC GROWTH AND CHRONIC POVERTY*

(M/05/085)

SPONSOR: Chronic Poverty Research CentreIndia, IIPA, New DelhiOBJECTIVES: To assess the role of economicgrowth in influencing dynamics of poverty.KEY FINDINGS: The study examined the impactof economic growth at the village and districtlevels on the dynamics of poverty usinglongitudinal data on rural households coveringthe period 1970–71 to 1999–00. The studyfound that the impact of growth at the villagelevel is more important than the at the districtlevel.PROJECT TEAM: SHASHANKA BHIDE AND ANJALI TANEJA

VARIATIONS IN FACTORS INFLUENCING EXIT

AND ENTRY INTO POVERTY (M/06/093)

SPONSOR: Chronic Poverty Research CentreIndia, IIPA, New DelhiOBJECTIVES: To assess the variations in thefactors influencing the dynamics of povertyover time. The panel data on rural householdscovering the period 1970–71 to 1999–2000would be used to analyse whether the impactof factors such as household characteristics,social class, household assets, village


2006 2007

HOUSEHOLD BEHAVIOUR, POVERTY, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT,

INFORMALITY AND GENDER*


2006 2007


infrastructure, village size, urban linkages andeconomic growth have varied over time.STATUS: The work is in progress.PROJECT TEAM: SHASHANKA BHIDE AND NIDHI DHAMIJA

EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE FUTURES FOR

AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY (KST) (M/05/073)

SPONSOR: International Food Policy ResearchInstitute, USAOBJECTIVES: The main objective is to explorealternative futures for agricultural knowledge,science and technology (KST). The overallgoal of this project is to provide policy makerswith options and investments for agriculturalknowledge science and technology (KST)based on the analysis of alternativedevelopment paths and trade policies and theirimplications for food security, ruraldevelopment and environmental sustainability.The objectives of the project are: 1) to develop4–5 alternative development paths orscenarios for agriculture up to 2050; 2) todevelop consistent qualitative and quantitativeKST policies for these scenarios; 3) to analysequantified scenarios related to IAASTD andto develop investment implications; 4) toanalyse additional scenarios focusing on jointtrade and KST policies; and 5) to disseminateresearch results.PROJECT TEAM: ANUSHREE SINHA AND POONAM MUNJAL

STATUS: Ongoing.

STUDY OF DROP-OUT RATES IN SECONDARY

SCHOOL EDUCATION* (H/05/025)

SPONSOR: Department of SecondaryEducation, Government of IndiaOBJECTIVES: To analyse reasons for drop-outsfrom secondary and senior secondary stages ofeducation.KEY FINDINGS: The Survey was conducted overApril–June 2006 in 11 states – Assam, AndhraPradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Karnataka, MadhyaPradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Orissa,Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. In all, 587schools were surveyed to get a list of drop-out

students. It was seen that 28,715 studentsdropped out from all these school during thepast two years (2003–04 and 2004–05). Ofthem, 10,028 (35 per cent) were interviewedto identify the reasons for dropping out.Among those sampled, one-third were fromthe SC/ST category. We fielded questions thatdrew responses in a structured format andquestions that elicited responses in an open-ended format from households and schools.We also carried out a number of focus groupdiscussions in villages.

About 42 per cent of boys and 23 per centof girls reported economic factors as causingthem to drop out. Our survey reveals that onlyabout 17 per cent of parents and 16 per cent ofchildren reported “direct private cost ofschooling” of which “inability to pay tuitionfees” was the most important reasons of drop-out. About 15 per cent of boys and 13 per centof girls reported supply-related factors asbeing causes of them opting out. “School isvery far”, “no transportation” and “lack ofteachers” were the major reasons cited by bothparents and children. About 60 per cent ofchildren walked to school.PROJECT TEAM: SHASHANKA BHIDE, TARUJYOTI

BURAGOHAIN, RAJESH JAISWAL, AND KALICHARAN SHUKLA

DEVELOPMENT OF DATABASE FOR HIV AIDS

STUDY* (H/06/027)

SPONSOR: United Nations DevelopmentProgramOBJECTIVES: Documentation and preparationof data-base on the survey conducted byNCAER in a previous study on the impact ofHIV AIDS.KEY FINDINGS: Data sets have been documentedand are available for dissemination.PROJECT TEAM: SHASHANKA BHIDE, BASANTA K. PRADHAN,

AND BIJOY CHOUHAN

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH (H/03/016)

SPONSOR: National Institutes of Health andHuman Development, Maryland, USAOBJECTIVES: Detailed information on children

and women from over 41,000 households wascollected during the first phase. The project isnow n the second phase of data validation,which is expected to be completed by June2007. Based on these data, a detailed report isbeing prepared which is likely to be publishedas the “India Human Development Report”PROJECT TEAM: AMARESH DUBEY, O P SHARMA, JOYDEEP

GOSWAMI, ABHINAV ALAKSHENDRA, DEVENDRA KUMAR,

DEEPAK VASHNEY, AND SHALU

EXTERNAL TEAM: REEVE VANNEMAN, SONAL DESAI AND

MITALI SEN (ALL FROM UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND)

SENIOR ADVISOR: ABUSALEH SHARIFF

PARENTAL EDUCATION AND CHILD OUTCOMES

(H/04/021)

SPONSOR: National Institutes of Health andHuman Development, Maryland, USAOBJECTIVES: Detailed information on school-going children from over 41,000 householdswas collected during the first phase. Inaddition, all children in the surveyedhousehold falling in the age group of 8-11years were administered specially designedlearning tests. The project is in the secondphase and is expected to be completed by June2007. Based on this data, a detailed reportwould be prepared which would be included inthe “India Human Development Report”.PROJECT TEAM: AMARESH DUBEY, O P SHARMA, JOYDEEP






HEALTH ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT* (H/03/022)

SPONSOR: National Institutes of Health andHuman Development, Maryland, USAOBJECTIVES: The project, “Health environment,economic development”, is the third suchendeavour sponsored by University ofMaryland, USA. It is exploratory in nature.The data has been collected from over 600households in four states – Madhya Pradesh,

Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.The main objective of this work is to develop,test and refine a set of research methods thatwould enable us to measure importantenvironmental variables at the household level.Therefore, these may be incorporated in thelarge surveys in a cost effective way. Theproject was completed in February 2007.PROJECT TEAM: AMARESH DUBEY, O P SHARMA, JOYDEEP






DEPLOYMENT AND PROFESSIONAL

COMPETENCE OF PARA TEACHERS (H/06/026)

SPONSOR: Ministry of Human ResourceDevelopment (Department of SchoolEducation and Literacy), Government ofIndiaOBJECTIVES: In this project, the status of parateachers is investigated. We have collecteddetailed information from about 2,100 parateachers in 12 states, viz., Madhya Pradesh,Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh,Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra,Orissa, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh andJammu and Kashmir. In addition, theperceptions of head teachers, BRC/ CRC,PRI/ VEC and focus group was also collected.Collection of primary data from the field is tobe done.PROJECT TEAM: AMARESH DUBEY, RUPINDER KAUR,

O P SHARMA, AND M K ARORA

NATIONAL AIDS CONTROL ORGANISATION

(NACO) SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS IN

INDIA* (H/03/017)

SPONSOR: United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP)OBJECTIVES: Analyse the nature and type of theeconomic impact of HIV/AIDS onhouseholds. The focus will be on aninvestigation into the relationship betweenHIV/AIDS and the distribution of income


2006 2007

and wealth, changes in the structure ofemployment and social security. It seeks toassess the sectoral impact and measure thecurrent and potential impact of HIV/AIDS ondifferent sectors of the economy including (butnot limited to) agriculture, tourism and healthcare industry. There is an assessment of the netimpact of HIV/AIDS on national-leveleconomic performance. An integrated modelincorporating specific sectors, associatedlabour force participation and effects onproductivity was to be developed to evaluateand estimate the impact of HIV/AIDS on therespective Gross Domestic Product (GDP).PROJECT TEAM: BASANTA K PRADHAN, M R SALUJA,

RAMAMANI SUNDAR, VIJAY PRAKASH OJHA, S K MONDAL,

SHALABH KUMAR SINGH, ABHILASHA SHARMA, GEETHA

NATESH, AND SAMPURNA SINGH

IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS ON WOMEN AND GIRL

CHILD AND ON INDUSTRY SECTOR* (H/05/024)

SPONSOR: United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP)OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact ofHIV/AIDS on women and female children inthe six HIV high-prevalence states of India.The various questions that are to be exploredare: the burden of care, domestic work andeconomic responsibilities on women; genderdifferences in the health-seeking behaviourand household expenditure on medical care;the impact of HIV/AIDS on education offemale children; the gender differences instigma and discrimination; the status of HIVpositive widows; gender differences in theknowledge, awareness and misconceptionabout HIV/AIDS, and, finally, the attitudetowards PLWHA. For industry, we envisagedredoing the CGE modelling exercise with ahigher level of sectoral desegregation with aview to gaining an insight into the impact ofAIDS on the various sectors that actuallyconstitute ‘industry’. Such an extended CGEmodel would allow a more realistic assessmentof the impact of the epidemic on the industrialsectors of the Indian economy.

PROJECT TEAM: BASANTA K PRADHAN, M R SALUJA, VIJAY

PRAKASH OJHA, RAMAMANI SUNDAR, GEETHA NATESH, DIVJOT

SINGH, AND SARBADAL PAL

EVALUATION OF PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

SYSTEM I (S/05/022)

SPONSOR: Ministry of Food and ConsumerAffairs, Government of IndiaOBJECTIVES: To check identification of below-poverty-line (BPL) and Aantyodaya AnnaYojana (AAY) beneficiaries; see the off-takepattern from fair price shops by BPL and AAYcategories; evaluate the quality of foodgrainsdistributed at the FPSs, and, check theavailability of foodgrains at FCI depots.KEY FINDINGS: It appears that the TPDS systemis working quite effectively. Among thepoorest of the poor households, around 95 percent households in Chhattisgarh, 92 per centin Uttar Pradesh, 90 per cent in Mizoram, 85per cent in Rajasthan and 62 per cent in Assamgot their entitlement quite regularly during thesix months of survey period. However, furtherdeep probing into the subject brought into thepicture the gross idiosyncrasies hidden behindthe so bright picture. The gross irregularitiesthat came into the picture were hugeidentification errors, excess cards issued andlarge number of unidentified families in someof the states.PROJECT TEAM: PARMOD KUMAR AND DEEPTI SETHI

OUTCOME: Draft report submitted.

EVALUATION OF PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

SYSTEM II (S/06/025)

SPONSOR: Ministry of Food and ConsumerAffairs, Government of IndiaOBJECTIVES: To evaluate the PDS system inanother set of six states.OUTCOME: First round survey under progressPROJECT TEAM: PARMOD KUMAR AND DEEPTI SETHI

EXAMINING EMPLOYMENT FIGURES IN THE

HANDLOOM SECTOR* (M/06/088)

SPONSOR: All India Artisans and Craft workersWelfare Association (AIACA)


2006 2007

OBJECTIVE: To examine employment figures inthe handloom sector. The methodologyinvolved examining unit-level data generatedby NCAER and NSSO. To examine thequestions that are asked in these survey andcensus questionnaires to examine theirdifferences. Moreover, to examine therequirements both in time and money. Toexamine the merit and demerit of both censusand survey for estimating employmentnumbers.KEY FINDINGS: The quality of data in a censusdepends on a large number of enumerators orinvestigators, who could not be given intensivetraining because of the cost and organisationaldifficulties involved. Further, careful scrutinyand inspection at all stages of work would bemore manageable and less expensive in asample survey than in a census. In thehandloom survey, the main areas to beconcerned are income, level of skill, growthpotential of skill, degree of interdependence onthe other industries on the basis of theinformation on inputs requirement.PROJECT TEAM: ANUSHREE SINHA, POONAM MUNJAL, AND

KUNTAL BASU

DATE OF COMPLETION: October 27, 2006OUTCOME: Report titled “Examiningemployment figures in the handloom sector”.

INDO-NORWEGIAN PROGRAMME OF

INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION (N001)

SPONSOR: Royal Norwegian Embassy,New DelhiOBJECTIVES: The programme, which began in1990, is now in its five-year-long second phasefollowing a second bilateral agreement signedin November 2001 and a grant of NOK 50million. So far, 47 projects have been approvedand 30 completed. The projects cover wide anddiverse areas such as detection and evaluationof bacterial agents causing diarrhoea amongchildren by finding more effective alternativesto the WHO -approved Oral Re-hydrationSolution (ORS). There are also analyses onpaper and pulp-making technology, offshoregeo-technical engineering, engineeringgeophysics and rock mechanics, sustainabledevelopment of arid lands, application of solarand wind-power technology in automobiles,deep sea bed mining, tunnelling technologies,selective breeding of rohu fish, environmentalgeo-technology, discovery of new drugs andvaccines against TB, reservoir modelling forenhanced oil recovery, soil and groundwatercontamination and remedial measures, naturalresources ecology, earthquake engineering, etc.PROJECT TEAM: SUMAN BERY AND P L NARAYANA


2006 2007

FINANCES: ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2006–07 53

MANAGEMENT REPORT ON FINANCIAL REPORTING FOR 2006–07The Management of the National Council of Applied Economic Research has the responsibilityfor preparing the accompanying financial statements and for their integrity and objectivity. Theannual accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis, the applicable accountingstandards have been followed and there are no material departures. Management has takenproper and sufficient care, to the best of its knowledge and ability, for the maintenance ofadequate accounting records for safeguarding the assets of the Council and for preventing anddetecting fraud and other irregularities. The financial statement includes amounts that are basedon management’s best estimates and judgements. Management also prepared other informationin the Annual Report and is responsible for its accuracy and consistency with the financialstatements.

S.P. Chopra & Co., independent auditors, appointed by the Governing Body, and approvedby the General Body have audited the Council’s financial statements. Management has madeavailable to the auditors all the Council’s financial records and related data, as well as the minutesof the General Body and Governing Body meetings. Furthermore, management believes that allrepresentations made to the auditors during its audit were valid and appropriate.

Management of the Council has established and maintains a system of internal control thatprovides reasonable assurance as to the integrity and reliability of the financial statements, theprotection of assets from unauthorised use or disposition, and the prevention and detection offraudulent financial reporting. The system of internal control provides for appropriate division ofresponsibility. Management continually monitors the system of internal control for compliance,and independently assesses the effectiveness of the internal control and recommend possibleimprovement thereto. Management continuously strives to supplement the existing internalcontrols through an appropriate management reporting system.

Management also recognises its responsibility for fostering a strong ethical climate so thatthe Council’s affairs are conducted according to the highest standards of personal and corporateconduct. This responsibility is characterised and reflected in the Council’s code of conduct,which includes the necessity of ensuring open communication within the Council; avoidingpotential conflicts of interest and compliance with all domestic and foreign laws, includes thoserelating to financial disclosure and the confidentiality of proprietary information.

New Delhi Suman BeryAugust 7, 2007 Director-General

Finances: Annual Accounts2006-07

2006 2007


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2006 2007

INCOME & EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR 2006–2007 AND BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 2007–08

(Rs. in lakh)Particulars 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08

ACTUAL Budget Revised Budget ACTUAL Budget

INCOME

Fees – Project & Seminar 1,029.42 1,245.79 990.00 971.22 1329.49

Golden Jubilee Fund – 40.00 7.44 7.44 –

Government Grant 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00

Grant – ICICI Bank – – 5.00 5.00 –

Membership & Subscription 2.25 2.46 2.46 1.36 2.00

Sale of Publication 8.61 10.99 6.50 6.48 8.59

Interest on Investments 29.42 27.55 27.55 26.86 29.97

Transfer from Corpus-Interest 25.32 29.97 29.97 29.28 29.55

Miscellaneous Income 8.47 0.50 5.50 5.32 2.50

Sale of Assets – – 1.00 – –

Total 1,153.49 1,407.26 1,125.42 1,102.95 1,452.10

(contd.)


2006 2007

INCOME & EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR 2006–07 AND BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 2007–08 (contd.)

(Rs. in lakh)Particulars 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08

ACTUAL Budget Revised Budget ACTUAL Budget

EXPENDITURENCAER Staff Salaries & Allowances 423.67 401.60 436.27 436.16 443.46Payment to Professionals & 274.56 425.24 303.85 242.45 371.81Survey/Data Gathering Travelling & Conveyance 109.27 111.92 88.00 138.12 166.11Council's Publications 9.62 34.81 13.09 12.39 24.08Rent, Rates & Taxes 3.74 1.00 5.00 4.36 2.00Postage, Telegram & E-Mail Expenses 11.04 11.50 8.00 8.38 9.50Telephone & Fax Expenses 9.48 11.20 9.00 8.96 11.45Stationery & Printing 16.44 11.80 18.00 18.09 16.89Repairs & Maintenance 21.38 28.90 20.00 18.03 41.50Periodicals & Journals 18.82 20.00 23.00 22.13 27.50Entertainment Expenses 2.67 1.50 2.00 2.02 3.50Advertisement Expenses 0.15 – 0.70 0.61 0.70Car Running & Maintenance Expenses 4.69 4.00 3.28 3.50 6.00Interest on Bank Overdraft 4.89 5.00 7.00 5.60 6.00Payment to Auditors 0.29 0.80 2.00 1.22 1.25Depreciation on Fixed Assets 37.71 48.00 48.00 47.39 60.00Legal Expenses 1.05 5.50 1.75 1.57 3.00Maintenance of Computers & 25.85 42.38 20.00 17.30 22.25Stat. Lab. ChargesMiscellaneous Expenses 2.39 20.90 1.07 1.56 5.90ICICI Loan Expenses & Other Finance Charges 1.36 6.00 1.00 0.62 5.50Workshop & Seminar 43.95 37.10 30.00 31.52 43.80Staff Welfare Expenses 0.53 18.00 4.47 3.45 6.50Staff Development Expenses 0.23 2.55 0.70 1.84 15.00Water & Electricity 38.01 42.80 42.80 42.15 50.20Golden Jubilee Celebration Expenses 2.12 27.00 17.26 19.51 –Amount Written Off 39.16 – 12.07 0.30 –Amortisation of Premium on Investments 0.75 – 0.50 0.53 0.50Estimated Cost of Incomplete Projects 10.00 – – 1.25 –Loss on sale of Assets – – – 2.11 –Fixed Assets Written Off 0.30 – – 0.77 –Provision for Doubtful Debts-Projects 13.29 – – - –Provision for Old Publication Stock 4.13 – – 3.09 –Total 1,131.54 1,319.50 1,118.81 1,096.98 1,344.40Surplus / (Deficit) for the year 21.95 87.76 6.61 5.97 107.70


2006 2007

CASH FLOW STATEMENTFOR THE YEAR ENDED ON MARCH 31, 2007

(Rs. in lakh)Particulars Amount Amount

Opening Cash & Bank Balances

– Cash & Bank Balances 77.96

– Bank Overdraft 86.95 164.91

INFLOW

– Operation–Receipts 843.77

– Govt. of India–Grant-in-Aid 50.00

– Sale of Publications 6.64

– Membership & Subscription 1.36

– Interest Received 79.05

– Golden Jubliee Receipt 7.44

– TDS Refund 10.38

– Misc. Receipts 2.27 1,000.91

Total Funds Available 1,165.82

OUTFLOW

– Payment of ICICI Loan/Laptop Loan 30.00

– Expenses 982.50

– Purchase of Assets 30.31

– Library Expenses (including Books) 19.67

– Golden Jubliee Expenses 13.28

– Investments 24.70 1,100.46

Balance 65.36

Closing Cash & Bank Balances

– Cash & Bank Balances 19.71

– Bank Overdraft 45.65 65.36

For S.P. CHOPRA & CO.Chartered Accountants

AUDITORS’ REPORTThe MembersNational Council of Applied Economic ResearchNew Delhi.

1. We have audited the attached Balance Sheet of National Council of Applied EconomicResearch, New Delhi as at 31st March 2007 and Income and Expenditure Account of theCouncil for the year ended on that date annexed thereto. These financial statements are theresponsibility of the Management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on thesefinancial statements based on our audit.

2. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in India.Those Standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assuranceabout whether the financial statements are free from any material misstatement. An auditincludes examining on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in thefinancial statements. An audit also includes, assessing the accounting principles used andsignificant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation ofthe financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

3. We further report that:(a) we have obtained all the information and explanations, which to the best of our knowledge

and belief were necessary for the purposes of our audit;(b) in our opinion, proper books of account have been kept by the Council so far as appears

from our examination of the books;(c) the Balance Sheet and Income and Expenditure Account dealt with by the Report are in

agreement with the books of account;(d) in our opinion, the Balance Sheet and Income and Expenditure Account of the Council

dealt with by this report comply with the applicable mandatory accounting standards exceptto the extent as disclosed in note No. (7) of Part-B of Schedule '14' of the Accounts.

(e) in our opinion and to the best of our information and according to explanations given tous, the said Accounts read together with the Significant Accounting Policies and subject toNote No. (4) Re: shortfall of Rs. 18.11 lacs on account of leave encashment liability upto 31stMarch 2007 based on actuarial valuation at variance with the Accounting Standard-15; andother notes thereon in Schedule ‘14’ give a true and fair view in conformity with theaccounting principles generally accepted in India:(i) in the case of the Balance Sheet, of the State of affairs of the Council as at 31st March,

2007; and(ii) in the case of the Income and Expenditure Account of the Surplus for the year ending

on that date.

For S.P. Chopra & Co.Chartered Accountants

Place: New Delhi (Pawan K Gupta)Date: August 7, 2007 Partner


2006 2007


2006 2007

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31ST MARCH, 2007

(Rs.) Particulars Schedule As at As at

31st March 2007 31st March 2006

SOURCES OF FUNDS

Corpus 1 98,594,546 96,124,546

Reserves & Surplus 2 22,201,035 21,603,220

Grant Funds (Restricted) 3 330,275 330,275

Loan Funds 4 5,450,246 6,000,000

Total 126,576,102 124,058,041

APPLICATION OF FUNDS

Fixed Assets (Net) 5 19,264,051 17,416,840

Investments 6 99,088,000 96,618,000

Net Current Assets 7 7,656,136 9,402,438

Miscellaneous Expenditure 567,915 620,763

Premium on Investments (to the extent not written off or adjusted )

Total 126,576,102 124,058,041

Significant Accounting Policies and 14Notes to the Accounts

Schedules 1 to 14 form an integral part of the Accounts.

As per our report of even date attached For S. P. Chopra & Company Chartered Accountants

(Pawan K. Gupta) Dr. Bimal Jalan Suman BeryPartner President Director-General

New Delhi

Date: August 7, 2007


2006 2007

INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED ON 31ST MARCH, 2007

(Rs.)

Particulars Schedule Current Year Previous Year

INCOME Fees – Project and Seminars (Gross) 97,121,544 102,941,530 Government of India – Grant in - Aid 5,000,000 5,000,000 ICICI Bank - Grant - I T 500,000 –Membership Subscription 136,500 225,500 Sale/ Subscription of Publications 629,052 861,162(Net of Discount) Interest 8 5,613,429 5,473,709 Other Income 9 550,604 434,030 Total 109,551,129 114,935,931

EXPENDITUREEmployees Remuneration and Benefits 10 43,961,435 42,367,849Survey / Data Gathering 16,235,981 15,911,483Travelling & Conveyance 13,811,744 10,927,334Consultants' Fees 8,166,475 11,637,018Cost of Publications 11 945,009 962,147Interest & Finance Charges 12 621,736 518,712Administration and Other Expenses 13 19,211,972 26,358,575Golden Jubilee Celebration: – Expenses 1,951,154 212,296– Less: Receipts 743,996 1,207,158 – 212,296Amortisation of Premium on Investments 52,848 74,472Depreciation 4,738,956 3,771,020

Total 108,953,314 112,740,906

Surplus for the year 597,815 – 2,195,025Balance available for Appropriation 597,815 2,195,025Less: Transferred to Capital Asset Fund (597,815) (2,195,025) Deficit brought forward (14,290,354) (14,290,354)Deficit Carried over to Reserve and Surplus (14,290,354) (14,290,354)Significant Accounting Policies and 14Notes to the Accounts

Schedules 1 to 14 form an integral part of the Accounts.

As per our report of even date attached For S. P. Chopra & Company Chartered Accountants

(Pawan K. Gupta) Dr. Bimal Jalan Suman BeryPartner President Director-General

New DelhiDate: August 7, 2007


2006 2007

Schedule 1 – Corpus

Particulars As at Add: Grant Add : Less: Plough As at1st April, Received Interest Interest Back to 31st

2006 during for the transferred Corpus March, the year year to Income & Fund 2007

2006–07 Expenditure Account

Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs.

CORPUS – 1

Government of India Grant – 1994–95 9,550,000 9,550,000

Ford Foundation Grant 8,075,779 8,075,779

General Fund 16,323,017 2,505,082 2,505,082 – 16,323,017

Total 33,948,796 – 2,505,082 2,505,082 – 33,948,796

CORPUS – 2

Sir Ratan Tata Trust Grant 8,221,000 635,924 565,924 70,000 8,291,000

Total 8,221,000 – 635,924 565,924 70,000 8,291,000

CORPUS – 3

Ford Foundation Grant 28,144,750 2,314,397 1,114,397 1,200,000 29,344,750

Sub Total A 28,144,750 – 2,314,397 1,114,397 1,200,000 29,344,750

Matching Contribution Received from (against Corpus – 3)

Canadian International Development Agency 8,000,000 – – – 8,000,000

Government of India Grant – 2002–03 6,500,000 – – – – 6,500,000

Reserve Bank of India 7,500,000 – – – – 7,500,000

Interest Ploughed Back on Matching Contribution 3,810,000 – 2,160,882 960,882 1,200,000 5,010,000

Sub Total B 25,810,000 – 2,160,882 960,882 1,200,000 27,010,000

Total (A+B) 53,954,750 – 4,475,279 2,075,279 2,400,000 56,354,750

Grand Total 96,124,546 – 7,616,285 5,146,285 2,470,000 98,594,546

Note: Refer to Note No. 5 of Schedule 14.

SCHEDULES FORMING PART OF THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

Schedule 2 – Reserve and Surplus

Particulars As at As at31st March, 2007 31st March, 2006

Rs. Rs.

Capital Assets Fund:

As per last Accounts 35,893,574 – 33,698,549 –

Add: Transferred from Income

& Expenditure Account 597,815 36,491,389 2,195,025 35,893,574

Deficit in Income &

Expenditure Account (14,290,354) (14,290,354)

Total 22,201,035 21,603,220


2006 2007

Schedule 3 – Grant Funds (Restricted)

Grant Total Grant As at 31st As a 31stReceived March, 2007 March, 2006

Rs. Rs. Rs. Fulbright NCAER Grant 272,168 272,168

- HDFC Limited 200,000- Sir Ratan Tata Trust 400,000

IT Upgradation Grant 58,107 58,107- l. D. R. C., Canada 3,814,150- ICICI Limited 1,150,000- HDFC Limited 1,000,000- GE Capital Service India 600,000- ILFS Limited 500,000- DSP Merril Lynch Limited 400,000

Total 330,275 330,275

Schedule 4 – Loan Funds

Particulars As at As at 31st March, 2007 31st March, 2006

Rs. Rs.

SECURED LOAN

– ICICI Bank Limited 2,450,246 – (Secured by Hypothecation of EDP Equipments)

UNSECURED LOAN

– ICICI Bank Limited (Interest Free) 3,000,000 6,000,000 (Repayable within one year - Rs. 3,000,000)

Total 5,450,246 6,000,000



2006 2007

Sche

dule

5 –

Fix

ed A

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OS

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Rs.

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2006 2007

Sche

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2006 2007

Schedule 7 – Net Current Assets

Particulars As at 31st As at 31st March, 2007 March, 2006

Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs.

CURRENT ASSETS

Cash & Bank Balances

– Cash in Hand (inclusive of Postage Stamps) 80,939 129,047

– Balances with Scheduled Banks

– In Savings Accounts (including Rs. 19,134/-

in FCRA – INR Account) 1,232,703 7,019,569

– In Overdraft Account 4,565,365 8,694,576

– Margin Money – Deposits against Bank Guarantees 598,629 571,342

– In Current Account 59,185 6,536,821 77,918 16,492,452

Interest Accrued on Investments

– Accrued and due 590,633 590,633

– Accrued but not due 1,789,262 1,708,319

2,379,895 2,298,952

Sundry Debtors

(Unsecured considered good unless specified otherwise )

– Project Debtors

Considered Good 15,295,544 12,082,928

Considered Doubtful 1,328,702 16,624,246 1,478,702

13,561,630

Less: Provision for Doubtful Debts 1,328,702 15,295,544 1,478,702 12,082,928

– Publication Debtors 5,479 10,974

Project in Progress 16,203,613 17,367,914

Other Receivables (Unsecured Considered Good)

– Planning Commission 1,293,952 345,128

– ICICI Bank - Grant 500,000 –

– Guru Govind Singh Refineries Ltd – 52,634

– PM's High Level Committee – 9,061

– Institute for Social & Economic Change – 100,000

– Receivable from ICICI Bank –

– Centre for Economic Policy Research – 363,243

– Institut D' Economie Industrielle – 104,531

– European Centre for advance Res. In Eco. – 78,752

– Recoverable from NORAD - Certification Charges – 10,674

– Recoverable from Initiative for Policy Dialogue – 1,917

– Staff Group Insurance - Birla Sun Life 123,764 26,250

– University of Maryland – 1,917,716 416,339 1,508,529


(contd.)


2006 2007

Schedule 7 – Net Current Assets (contd.)

Particulars As at 31st As at 31st March, 2007 March, 2006

Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs.

Publications Stock 1,865,000 2,173,703

(As physically verified , valued and certified by the Management)

Less: Provision for Old Publication Stock 1,014,385 850,615 1,032,874 1,140,829

Advances & Deposits

(Unsecured considered good)

– Advances to staff & Field offices 216,622 264,927

– TDS Recoverable 4,666,588 4,583,594

– Prepaid Expenses 2,028,527 1,728,893

– Deposits 159,667 160,452

– Other Advances 61,704 7,133,108 170,237 6,908,103

Total Current Assets 50,322,791 57,810,681

LESS: CURRENT LIABILITIES

Project Fees Received in Advance 24,723,457 34,355,053

Liabilities for Expenses 9,441,958 8,925,281

Provision for Estimated Cost on Incomplete Projects 175,000 1,020,000

Due to Provident Fund Trust 265,715 346,720

Other Liabilities 8,060,525 42,666,655 3,761,189 48,408,243

Total Current Liabilities 42,666,655 48,408,243

Net Current Assets (As per Balance Sheet) 7,656,136 9,402,438



2006 2007

Schedule 8 – Interest

Particulars Current Year Previous Year Rs. Rs.

On Investments

– Corpus 7,616,285 7,512,241 –

Less: Interest Ploughed back to

Corpus Fund (Refer Schedule - 1 ) 2,470,000 5,146,285 2,470,000 5,042,241Others 304,765 356,290

On Short-term Deposits 30,390 32,122

On Others 131,989 43,056

Total 5,613,429 5,473,709

Schedule 9 – Other Income


Profit on Sale of Fixed Assets – 34,190

Liabilities/ Provisions no longer required written back 424,372 315,518

Miscellaneous Income 126,232 84,322

Total 550,604 434,030

Schedule 10 – Employees’ Remuneration and Benefits


Salaries & Allowances 23,645,450 23,577,969

Performance Linked Incentive Pay 4,701,166 5,013,175

Gratuity (including shortfall for earlier year/s) 5,210,451 458,584

Payment to Temporary / Casual Workers 6,720,034 9,624,001

Provident Fund Contribution 1,839,452 1,962,496

Leave Salary 1,500,000 1,500,000

Staff Welfare Expenses 344,882 231,624

Total 43,961,435 42,367,849

Schedule 11 – Cost of Publications


Opening Stock 2,173,703 2,232,401

Add: Printing,Editing & Translation Expenses 636,306 903,449

2,810,009 3,135,850

Less: Closing Stock 1,865,000 2,173,703

Total 945,009 962,147

SCHEDULES FORMING PART OF THE INCOME STATEMENT


2006 2007

Schedule 12 – Interest & Finance Charges


– On Overdraft Facility 559,955 488,712

– On Other Accounts 61,781 30,000

Total 621,736 518,712

Schedule 13 – Administration and Other Expenses

Particulars Current Year Previous YearRs. Rs.

Rent, Rates & Taxes 436,285 373,875

Water & Electricity 4,215,146 3,801,236

Stationery & Printing 1,808,588 1,644,329

Postage, Telegram & Telephones 1,735,036 2,051,535

Repairs & Maintenance 1,803,319 2,138,182

Periodicals & Journals 2,213,126 1,881,686

Computer Services 1,730,394 2,585,238

Seminars & Workshops 3,152,025 4,394,927

Estimated Cost on Incomplete Projects 125,000 1,000,000

Car Running & Maintenance 350,481 468,835

Entertainment Expenses 201,867 266,172

Staff Recruitment Expenses 59,756 22,900

Auditor's Remuneration

– Audit Fee 26,000 29,182

– Certification Fee 96,334 122,334 13,076 42,258

Staff Development Expenses 121,045 52,955

Advertisement 60,760 15,000

Amounts Written Off 29,715 3,915,788

Fixed Assets Written Off 77,204 30,037

Provision for Doubtful Debts - Projects – 1,328,702

Loss on Sale of Fixed Assets 210,544 –

Miscellaneous Expenses 759,347 344,920

Total 19,211,972 26,358,575

SCHEDULES FORMING PART OF THE INCOME STATEMENT

SCHEDULES FORMING PART OF THE ACCOUNTS

Schedule 14 – Accounting Policies and Notes to the Accounts 1. Significant Accounting PoliciesBasis of preparation of Financial StatementsThe accompanying financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention inaccordance with the generally accepted accounting principles in India (“GAAP”).

Use of EstimatesThe preparation of financial statements in conformity with “GAAP” in India requires themanagement to make estimates and assumptions to be made that affect the reported amount ofassets and liabilities on the date of financial statements and the reported amount of revenues andexpenses during the reporting period. Difference between the actual result and estimates arerecognised in the period in which the results are known/materialised.

Revenue Recognition(i) Income & Expenditure is recognised on accrual basis except the income pertaining to self-

sponsored projects, subscription to journals and membership subscription which areaccounted on receipt basis.

(ii) Project Fee(a) Revenue from project is recognised in proportion to the cost incurred on project

(including cost of associated computers, equipment etc. purchased from project funds)assuming that the cost incurred represents corresponding progress of the project.

(b) The difference, if any between the contract price of the project and the revenuerecognised as stated in para (a) above is recognised when the project work is completedin all respect.

(c) Where cost incurred is out of proportion to progress of work, for revenue recognition theactual progress is taken into account.

(d) Provision for expected overrun, if any on uncompleted projects are recorded in the periodin which the same become probable based on current estimate.

(e) Cost incurred on the project is ascertained by applying per day charges determined onthe basis of estimated time spent by research staff of different categories, plus cost ofcommon facilities and other overheads, etc.

GrantsGrant from government and other agencies received as contribution for utilisation for specificpurpose is credited to “Corpus Account” and Grant received as non-recurring/administrativeexpenses is recognised as income in the year of receipt.

InvestmentsLong-term investments are primarily meant to be held over long term period and are valued atcost. Provision is made when in the management’s opinion, there is decline, other thantemporary, in the carrying value of such investments. Current investments are valued at cost ornet realisable value whichever is less. In respect of unquoted interest-bearing bonds, the premiumpaid at the time of acquisition is amortised over the remaining period to the date of maturity ofthe bonds.


2006 2007

Fixed Assets(i) Fixed assets are accounted for on historical cost basis inclusive of all the incidental and

installation cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment loss, if any.(ii) Depreciation is provided on the written down value basis at the rates determined as under,

retaining 5% of the original cost of the assets as residual value.

Fixed Assets Rate (%)

Building 2.50

Electric Installation, EPABX System, Air Conditioners & Refrigerators,

Library Books and Furniture & Fixture 10.00

Office Equipment 15.00

Diesel Generator Set, Statistical laboratory, and Motor Car 20.00

EDP Systems 40.00

Miscellaneous fixed Assets 25.00

Retirement Benefits(i) Gratuity to employees is funded through a Trust, which in turn has taken a Group Gratuity

Scheme Policy with LIC of India.(ii) Liability towards Provident Fund is funded through a separate Trust and contribution thereon

is made to the Trust.(iii) Liability towards earned leave which is encashable is provided for on the basis of actuarial

valuation.

Stock of PublicationsStock of unsold publications is valued at cost net of provision for old and slow/ non moving stock.

Foreign Currency Transactions Transactions in foreign currencies, covering current assets and current liabilities, are accounted forat the exchange rates prevailing on the date transaction takes place. Gains and losses arising outof subsequent fluctuations in the exchange rates at the time of settlement are adjusted in theIncome & Expenditures account under the respective head of account. Transactions whichremain unsettled at the year-end are translated at year-end/contract rate.

2. Notes to the Accounts(1) Balances in the accounts of sundry debtors, sundry creditors and other parties are subject to

confirmation/reconciliation. The impact, if any, subsequent to the reconciliation will be takenin the year the confirmation/reconciliation is carried out.

(2) Reserve & Surplus includes Capital Assets Fund which represents amount appropriated overthe years towards fixed assets of the Council. The balance of Rs.6,47,815/- available forappropriation in the Income & Expenditure Account has been transferred to Capital AssetsFund during the year.

(3) Foreign exchange variation loss (net) amounting to Rs. 0.79 lacs (Previous year: Gain (net):Rs. 4.04 lacs) has been debited/credited to the respective revenue heads.

(4) During the year an adhoc provision of Rs. 15,00,000/- (Previous year Rs. 15,00,000) wasmade towards the leave encashment of its regular employees, however as per the actuarialvaluation still there is un-provided liability of Rs. 18,10,804/- as on 31.03.2007. Themanagement is expected to provide the shortfall in the near future.


2006 2007


2006 2007

(5) Corpus in “Schedule - 1” includes as under:Corpus-1: Ford Foundation granted an endowment grant of US $ 250,000(Rs.8,075,779) in the year 1993 for publications, faculty development and other coreactivities. As per terms and conditions Council is to raise 1:1 as matching requirementwhich Council has raised within stipulated time. Matching Contribution has beenreceived from Government of India and Council itself.Corpus -2: Sir Ratan Tata Trust granted Rs.75 Lakhs in the year 1997 to enhance thelibrary services. As per terms and conditions of said Grant, 10% of interest earned onCorpus fund, along with the unutilised amount of income is to be ploughed back toCorpus every year which condition is complied every year.Corpus-3: Ford Foundation granted an endowment grant of US $ 500,000 (Rs. 24,302,750) in the year 2002 for core support. As per terms and conditions 50% ofinterest earned during the year is to be ploughed back to Corpus every year. As perrevised terms and conditions Council is to raise 1:1 as matching contribution whichCouncil met as on 31st March, 2007. Matching Contribution has been received fromCanadian International Development Agency, Government of India, Reserve Bank ofIndia and Council.

(6) (a) The income of the Council has been declared exempt under sub-clause (iv) of sub section (23C) of Section 10 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 for the assessment years 2005–2006 to 2007–08 vide Notification No.146/2006, dated 29.06.2006 issued by Government of India, Ministry of Finance, New Delhi.

(b) The income tax assessment of the Trust has been completed up to the assessment year 2005–06 and refunds including the interest thereon have been accounted for in the enclosed accounts.

(7) The Council has complied with the applicable mandatory Accounting Standards issued bythe Institute of Chartered Accountants of India except in respect of leave encashmentwherein adhoc provision is made and not as per actuarial valuation resulting in non-compliance of Accounting Standard ‘15’ (as per para 4 above). Further, certain income as perthe accounting policy No. (3. i) are being accounted on receipt basis. The said policy ofaccounting of income on receipt basis is being followed by the Council consistently.

(8) In the opinion of the management, the Current Assets and Loans and Advances as on31.3.2007 have a value on realisation in the ordinary course of business at least equal to theamount at which they are stated in the Balance Sheet as on that date and that all the knownand ascertained liabilities and all the accrued income and expenses relating to the year endedon 31.3.2007 have been duly provided / accounted for in these Accounts.

(9) The previous year's figures have been regrouped – rearranged wherever considered necessary.

As per our Report of even date attached.

For S.P. Chopra & Co.Chartered Accountants

Pawan K. Gupta Dr. Bimal Jalan Suman BeryPartner President Director–General

Place: New DelhiDate: August 7, 2007

HON. PRIME MINISTER, DR MANMOHAN SINGH,DELIVERING THE INAUGURALADDRESS.


2006 2007

NCAER GOLDEN JUBILEE EVENT ON DECEMBER 17, 2006 AT VIGYAN BHAVAN, NEW DELHI

BIMAL JALAN, PRESIDENT,GOVERNING BODY, NCAER,DELIVERING A LECTURE.

HON. PRIME MINISTER, DRMANMOHAN SINGHRELEASING A BOOK WITHSUMAN K. BERY, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, BIMAL JALAN,PRESIDENT, GOVERNINGBODY, AND M.S. VERMA,VICE-PRESIDENT,GOVERNING BODY, NCAER.

75

ADDRESS BY HON. PRIME MINISTER OFINDIA, DR. MANMOHAN SINGH AT THEGOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS OFNCAER AT VIGYAN BHAVAN, NEWDELHI DECEMBER 17, 2006

“I am delighted to participate in the GoldenJubilee celebrations of the National Councilof Applied Economic Research. The mid-1950s, when NCAER was set up, was a timeof enormous energy and institutionalinnovation in India. Pandit Nehru tookpersonal interest in the establishment ofNCAER, as he did in the establishment andgrowth of so many other institutions ofnational excellence. Panditji believed thatthrough focused intellectual and policyeffort, India could overcome the economicstagnation of the colonial period and onceagain take its place as a major economy inthe world.

The NCAER represented animaginative collaboration between theprivate and public sectors, with animportant contribution from the FordFoundation. I pay tribute to the pioneeringrole of such stalwarts of that era such asJ.R.D. Tata, Ashoka Mehta, T.T. and V.T.Krishnamachari, C.D. Deshmukh, P.S.Lokanathan and John Mathai, who were allfounder members of NCAER’s GoverningBody. I also recall the active interestDouglas Ensminger took in NCAER’swork. I must also pay tribute to theleadership provided in subsequent years byS. Bhoothalingam, Prakash Tandon, IdrakZaman Bhatty, S L Rao and Rakesh

Mohan. I am happy to see that NCAERcontinues to do good work under the ableleadership of Dr Bimal Jalan and SumanBery.

I recall that from its very beginningNCAER encouraged an environment of freedebate and intellectual discourse. Under theable and towering leadership of DrLokanathan, NCAER attracted a diversegroup of talented economists. I recall thatDr Ashok Mitra, who later joined theCPM, Dr Jay Dubashi, who later became anideologue of the Jana Sangh, Dr AshokDesai and Dr A Vaidyanathan, were allcolleagues at NCAER in the late 1950s, andformed an active team of researchers despitethe diversity of their worldviews.

This ability to bring together a diversityof opinion under one roof is one of the greatstrengths of our liberal and pluraldemocracy.

I pay tribute to the intellectual leaders ofour country who encouraged and fosteredsuch plurality of thought.

However, while debate is helpful, indeednecessary, it must be informed by facts. Thatis where NCAER’s dharma of “appliedeconomic research”, the analysis of data andfacts, is so very important. Public policymust be informed by empirical research andshaped by changing reality. And, when factschange opinion, diagnosis and policy mustchange too. In the realm of public policythere is no virtue in holding on to one’sbeliefs if these are not based on facts andexperience. For all the naysayers andunbending ideologues, John Maynard

Appendix I

GOLDEN JUBILEE EVENT

APPENDIX I: GOLDEN JUBLIEE EVENT

2006 2007

76

2006 2007

Keynes had a telling question: “When thefacts change, I change my mind – what doyou do, sir?”

Circumstances are today favourable forsustained, rapid and equitable growth of theIndian economy. The NationalDevelopment Council has recently directedthat we should aim for a growth rate of 10%by the end of the 11th Plan. Rapid growthis needed to provide hope and productiveemployment for the millions of youngpeople joining the labour force each year,and to accelerate the reduction of extremepoverty.

India today faces few externalconstraints on its growth. Theresponsiveness of the Indian private sectorto economic liberalisation and increasedinternational integration has been generallysatisfactory, and has imparted tremendousresilience to the economy. What isheartening is that a growth process thatbegan with the external sector and withservices has now spread to manufacturingeven as services growth continues to beextremely buoyant.

We have certainly made considerableprogress in many areas over the last fifteenyears. The price signals facing our privatesector are now well-aligned withinternational prices. Greater freedom toinvest, together with an improved range offinancial options has facilitated entry,competition and dynamism, even asmoderate rates of taxation have encouragedentrepreneurial effort. Despite a high levelof public debt, inflation has been contained.In brief, the economic environment facingthe private sector has been transformed andthe results are evident.

However, we must not be complacent. Itwould be wrong to assume, as some do, thatthe major development challenges havebeen solved and that the Indian economycan now effortlessly coast towards becominga developed country. In this context I would

like to articulate five challenges that Ibelieve will engage us over the next decade,both as a prerequisite for fast growth and asa consequence of it. These are:(i) revitalisation of the rural economy;(ii) improved delivery of essential publicservices; (iii) improved management of oururban areas; (iv) preparing our financialsystem for greater inclusion and increasedglobal integration; (v) establishing aregulatory culture to facilitate cost-effectiveprivate investment in infrastructure.

On each of these our government hastaken several steps, but we have to do more.Firstly, agricultural activity needs to beredirected to higher-value activities so thatsmall-holders can earn a decent incomeeven as non-farm employment supportsfarm income. Improved rural connectivityand economic and social infrastructure willbe critical in this effort as will removal ofbarriers to domestic trade.

Secondly, India’s poor are those mostdeeply affected by poor delivery of basiceducation and health care. Individual statesneed to experiment with a range of modelsfor delivering these services as well asincreased monitoring by local communities.

Thirdly, our competitiveness as a nationwill increasingly depend on the efficientfunctioning of our cities. Urbanisation is anexpensive business. Our challenge is tomodernise the governance of our cities sothat they can generate the resources fortheir own growth and attract privatefinancing in a stable environment.

Fourthly, we have to further extend thereach of our formal financial system to allsections of the society. This is crucial forpermitting our small entrepreneurs andproducers to realise their potential. At thesame time, India stands to gain hugely fromgreater integration of its financial systemwith that of the world, in a prudential way.

Lastly, we have made a clear nationalcommitment to encourage public-private

NCAER ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07

77

2006 2007

sector partnership in our infrastructuresector. Such investments will onlymaterialise if there is confidence in theindependence and stability of the regulatoryregime; we have made a start in thisdirection, but establishing a credibleregulatory culture will take more effort andtime.

I have previously spoken of the need tonurture the elements of what is called the“knowledge economy”. This is often takento apply only to science and technology, butsocio-economic research has an equallyimportant role to play. In India, more thanin the advanced countries, policy-orientedresearch has tended to be carried on outsidethe universities in institutions like theNCAER, which are able to assemble teamsof specialised analysts.

These institutions also provide animportant forum for informed publicdebate, so essential in a democracy. Thereport on rural infrastructure released todayis a case in point. While NCAER wasperhaps the pioneer, we have today severalpolicy-oriented research institutions.Maintaining and enhancing the capacity ofsuch institutions will be essential as ourcountry moves forward and engages withthe world.

While independence and objectivity areessential for the credibility of theseinstitutions, I call upon both governmentand the private sector to do their part toensure that this capacity is preserved,modernised and enhanced. NCAER has

had a proud record of public-privatepartnership both in its funding as well as inorienting its research output. The growingdemand for informed analysis of on-goingeconomic trends has created a market forthe kind of applied research NCAER does.

I am very happy to hear that, as part ofits Golden Jubilee celebrations, theNCAER is planning to bring out anauthoritative volume of papers by eminenteconomists on “Applied Economic Researchin India since Independence”. A workshopis also being held this afternoon to have anin-depth discussion on the present state ofapplied economic research in India. I hopethis workshop, and the volume to bepublished thereafter, will lay down adetailed roadmap for areas that requirefurther research, particularly in sectorswhere we have fallen short of our goals.

I have no doubt that better research willfurther add to our economy’s all-roundgrowth through better utilization ofresources and higher productivity ofinvestments. This research will also help us,in government, in the formulation ofappropriate policies. It should also be ableto find a market in the private sector, bothat home and abroad.

I once again compliment all thoseassociated with NCAER, especially myfriend Bimal Jalan and the Director GeneralSuman Bery, and his colleagues, for thegood work you are doing here. I wish youwell in years to come.”

APPENDIX I: GOLDEN JUBLIEE EVENT 77


2006 2007

ISHER JUDGE AHLUWALIA, CHAIRPERSON, BOARD OFGOVERNORS, ICRIER, NAINA LAL KIDWAI, CHIEF EXECUTIVEOFFICER, HONGKONG & SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATIONLTD. AND RAJESH CHADHA, SENIOR FELLOW, NCAER.

SHANKAR N. ACHARYA, HONORARY PROFESSOR ANDMEMBER, BOARD OF GOVERNORS, ICRIER, SUMAN K. BERY,DIRECTOR-GENERAL, NCAER, AND MONTEK SINGHAHLUWALIA, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, PLANNING COMMISSION.


SUMAN BERY, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, NCAER, MONTEK SINGHAHLUWALIA, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN , PLANNING COMMISSION,AND RAKESH MOHAN, DEPUTY GOVERNOR, RESERVE BANK OFINDIA.

NCAER'S GOVERNING BODY MEMBERS: BIMAL JALAN, ANDASHOK S. GANGULY, CHAIRPERSON, ICICI ONE-SOURCE LTD.

79

2006 2007

APPENDIX I: GOLDEN JUBLIEE EVENT 79

Programme

GOLDEN JUBILEE EVENT

12.00pm Session I: Industrial Competitiveness

Presenter

Isher Judge Ahluwalia*ICRIER and K.L. KrishnaDelhi School of Economics

Arvind PanagariyaColumbia University

Rajiv Lall and Anupam RastogiIDFC Ltd.

Comments/Chair

Bimal Jalan*NCAER

Ashok Ganguly* ICICI One Source Ltd.

Naina Lal Kidwai*HSBC Ltd.

Rajesh ChadhaNCAER

1.30pm Lunch

2.15pm Session II: Rural Revitalisation

Presenters

Abhijit SenPlanning Commission

Pranab K. BardhanUniversity of California, Berkeley

Mark R. RosenzweigYale University and Andrew D. FosterBrown University

Comments/Chair

Meghnad Desai London School of Economics

Rohini Nayyar*

Anil SharmaNCAER

Hari NagarajanNCAER

3.35pm Tea Break

4.00pm Session III: Growth with Stability

Presenters

Rakesh Mohan*Reserve Bank of India andR K PattnaikReserve Bank of India

Suman K Bery* NCAER and Kanhaiya SinghNCAER

Surjit Bhalla*O(x)us Investments Pvt. Ltd.

Comments/Chair

Montek S AhluwaliaPlanning Commission

Eswar PrasadInternational Monetary Fund

Shankar N Acharya*ICRIER

Shashanka BhideNCAER

5.30pm Closing RemarksBimal Jalan/Suman Bery

* Member, NCAER Governing Body.

SURJIT S. BHALLA,MANAGING DIRECTOR,O(X)US INVESTMENTS PVT.LTD. DELIVERING A LECTUREAT THE GOLDEN JUBILEECELEBRATION EVENT.

LORD MEGHNAND DESAI,PROFESSOR, LONDONSCHOOL OF ECONOMICS,WITH NCAER GOVERNINGBODY MEMBERS: BIMALJALAN, MEMBER, RAJYASABHA, AND ROHININAYYAR, FORMER ADVISOR,PLANNING COMMISSION INA DISCUSSION DURINGNCAER GOLDEN JUBILEECELEBRATION EVENT.

NCAER TEAM DURING THEGOLDEN JUBILEECELEBRATION EVENT.

2006 2007




2006 2007

Appendix II

ACTIVITIES OF SENIOR STAFF

SUMAN BERY

Selected PositionsMEMBER

• Advisers Group to Administrator, UNDP, New York

• Government Accounting Standards Advisory Board

(GASAB)

• State Bank of India, Central Board

• Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy,

Reserve Bank of India

• Board of Governors, Management Development

Institute, Gurgaon

• Governing Body National Institute of Public Finance

and Policy

• Development Evaluation Advisory Committee,

Planning Commission

• Committee to Review Institute of Applied Manpower

Research (IAMR), Planning Commission

• Group of Experts for formulating a new scheme to

replace the Duty Entitlement Pass Book (DEPB)

Scheme, Ministry of Commerce

• Bihar Development and Investment Promotion

Council

• Steering Group on Macro Framework, Bihar

Planning Board (Chair)

• Research Council, National Institute of Science,

Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS)

• Working Group on IDA-15, Centre for Global

Development, Washington D.C.

• TERI Corporate Awards Selection Committee

• ICAI High Level Committee on Outcome Budget

(Chair, Shri S. Prabhu, Member of Parliament)

Lectures/Presentations/Major ConferencesAPRIL 10–11, 2006: Workshop on “Public-privatepartnership in infrastructure, industries and

regulation – future directions for PPPs ininfrastructure” – session chairNew Delhi; (Organised by NCAER)

MAY 3, 2006: Presentation on “Emergence ofChina and India and its global significance” atADB annual meetings, Hyderabad;(Organised by Citigroup)

MAY 4, 2006: Moderator in luncheon seminar on“Integration of Asian financial markets” atADB annual meeting, Hyderabad;(Organised by State Bank of India)

MAY 8, 2006: Presentation on “Taking stock ofIndia’s economic rise” New Delhi; (Organisedby JP Morgan Chase)

MAY 26, 2006: Workshop on “Increasedintegration of China and India in the globalfinancial system: issues and Implications”;chaired session on “Global implications”New Delhi; (Organised by ICRIER and TheWorld Bank)

MAY 31, 2006: Pan Asia conference: discussant in session on “Rural development in Chinaand India” USA; (Organised by StanfordCentre for International Development,Stanford University)

JUNE 15, 2006: Speaker: Seminar on “India’seconomy in the global scenario: trends andperspectives”, Rome; (Organised by InstitutoAffari Internationali)


2006 2007

JUNE 23, 2006: Speaker: Higher defenceorientation course on “New economic worldorder: crystal gazing” Indore; (Organised byArmy War College, Mhow)

JULY 14, 2006: Discussant at symposium, “AJammu and Kashmir primer: from myth toreality” New Delhi; (Organised by Centre forPolicy Research)

SEPTEMBER 7, 2006: Panelist in launch of“Economic freedom of the world 2006”New Delhi; (Organised by AcademicFoundation, Centre for Civil Society andFriedrich Naumann Stiftung)

OCTOBER 14, 2006: Speaker at Stanchart Bank’sIndia “Course from around the globe”, NewDelhi; (Organised by Standard CharteredBank)

OCTOBER 31, 2006: Presentation in theintroductory seminar and presentation todelegation from SITRA & VTT TechnicalResearch Centre of Finland on “State of theIndian economy”, New Delhi; (Organised bythe Embassy of Finland)

NOVEMBER 18, 2006: Speaker in a talk at thebusiness school, Accman: “10 per cent growth:is it feasible, is it likely?” Noida; (Organised byAccman Institute)

NOVEMBER 20, 2006: Chaired lecture by Prof.Deepak Lal on “China and India–whither theemerging giants?” New Delhi; (Organised byIIC & NCAER)

DECEMBER 5, 2006: Chair in a conference on“Sustaining fast growth: the role of economicregulation–challenges to implementation ofregulatory incentives; Regulatory Forum”New Delhi; (Organised by CEPR, NCAER,and ECARES)

DECEMBER 7, 2006: Speaker in the ThirdLondon School of Economics Asia forum, 2006, New Delhi; (Organised byLondon School of Economics)

DECEMBER 9, 2006: Panellist in FICCI-KAFcolloquium on globalisation – changemanagement and new roles views from Indiaand Germany, “How India is managing thenew paradigm in globalisation – the lessons”New Delhi; (Organised by FICCI)

DECEMBER 17, 2006: NCAER Golden Jubileeworkshop on “Applied economic research inindependent India” and release of “RuralInfrastructure Report” by Prime MinisterManmohan Singh, Vigyan Bhawan, NewDelhi; (Organised by NCAER)

DECEMBER 18, 2006: Panelist in a seminar on“Making globalisation work” by Prof. JosephStiglitz, in session on “Role of internationalorganisations”, New Delhi; (Organised byShri Ram Centre)

JANUARY 29–31, 2007: Workshop on“Performance and coherence in multilateraldevelopment finance”, Berlin

FEBRUARY 22, 2007: Discussant in a discussionof book, From servants to masters, by S.L. Rao,published by All-India ManagementAssociation Park Hotel, New Delhi

MARCH 5, 2007: Speaker in a brunch briefing toa 38-member USIBC delegation on “CapitalMarkets”, Monthly Column in BusinessStandard, New Delhi; (Organised by US-India Business Council)

MARCH 30, 2007: Talk at the Department on theIndia Economy with Dr Sisira Jayasuriya,Director, Asia Economic Centre Sydney, Australia


2006 2007

SHASHANKA BHIDE

Lectures/ Presentations/ Major ConferencesJULY 2006, OCTOBER 2006 AND JANUARY 2007:

Quarterly Review of the Economy “State of theeconomy” seminars: lead presentation at threeseminars during the yearNew Delhi; (Organised by NCAER)

OCTOBER 12, 2006: Presentation on “Impact oftelecommunication sector on the economy” atthe policy roundtable on “Efficiency andequity in access to telecom: EU-India CrossViews” Helsinki; (Organised by CEPR)

OCTOBER 31, 2006: Presentation on “The state ofthe economy”, to a group of visitors fromFinland led by the Director-Generals of threekey Finnish public research organisations –SITRA (The Finnish National Fund forResearch and Development), VTT (TechnicalResearch Centre of Finland), and TEKES(National Technology Agency of Finland) andAcademy of Finland Hotel Shangri La,New Delhi

NOVEMBER 14, 2006: Presentation to group ofvisiting investors from Handelsbanken CapitalMarkets, Finland, at the request of FinlandTrade Centre Hotel Trident Hilton, Gurgaon;(Organised by the Embassy of Finland)

JANUARY 22, 2007: Discussant for the session“Financing public and private investment”,NBER-NCAER Eighth Annual NeemranaConference, Neemrana Fort Palace,Neemrana, Rajasthan; (Organised byNBER–NCAER)

RAJESH CHADHA


Nominated as Member on the AdvisoryCouncil of the Indian School of Business and

Finance (ISBF), New Delhi (affiliated toLondon School of Economics)

Lectures/ Presentations/ Major ConferencesAPRIL 10, 2006: “Workshop on public-privatepartnership in infrastructure industries”,rapporteur for Session-4 on “Financinginfrastructure investments” Hotel Taj Palace,New Delhi

MAY 11, 2006: National seminar on governmentprocurement, chairperson for technicalsession-2, Hotel Imperial, New Delhi

SEPTEMBER 18, 2006: “Competitiveness ofexports of India and China: a comparison”–presentation made to a joint meeting of theIndo-China JTF with teams from both sides NCAER, New Delhi

OCTOBER 9, 2006: “India’s trade policy: currentinternational perspective”–presentation to theTCO Swedish Delegation Hotel Imperial, New Delhi

DECEMBER 29, 2006: “GATS and itsimplications for India and other South Asiancountries”–presentation made to senior civilservants IIPA, New Delhi.

JANUARY 5, 2007: “India China trade relations”–presentation made to a joint meeting of theIndo-China JTF with teams from both sides NCAER, New Delhi

FEBRUARY 8, 2007: Three presentations on workprogress in the ACIAR project presented atthe project workshop Gratton Street,Parkville, Melbourne

FEBRUARY 14, 2007: Two papers presentedduring the 51st annual conference of the Australian Agricultural and ResourceEconomics Society Hotel Rydges LakeResort, Queenstown, New Zealand

AMARESH DUBEY


• Member, Technical Advisory Group for preparation

of Food Security Atlas in Indian states since

November 2006. The Atlas is being prepared by the

Institute for Human Development and World Food

Programme, New Delhi

• Member, Sub-Group on Household Sector Savings-

11th Five Year Plan of Reserve Bank of India since

August 2006

• Member, Sub-Group to Review the Status of Higher

Education, University Grants Commission, since July

2006

Lectures/ Presentations/ Major ConferencesJUNE 6, 2006: Presented a paper on “Positivediscrimination and economic status: role ofcaste and religion in India”, Denmark;(Organised by Aarhus Business School)

NOVEMBER 14–18, 2006: Attended IUSSPinternational seminar on gender and access inSouth Asia and presented a paper on “Missingwomen, poverty and the sex ratio at birth (co-authored with Arjan Verschoor)”, Dhaka

DECEMBER 10–13, 2006: “Schooling vs. learning:implications for demographic research” (withR. Banerji, Sonal Desai and Reeve Vanneman)– paper presented at the InternationalConference on Emerging Population Issues inthe Asia Pacific Region: Challenges for the21st Century, Mumbai; (Organised byInternational Institute for PopulationSciences)

MARCH 29–31, 2007: “Income consumption andassets in India” (with Cecily Darden Adamsand Reeve Vanneman) – paper presented atthe annual meeting of the PopulationAssociation of America, New York

SANJIB POHIT

Lectures/ Presentations/ Major ConferencesOCTOBER 16, NOVEMBER 16 AND NOVEMBER 30, 2006,

AND MARCH 1 AND MARCH 11, 2007: ModellingSub-Group on Climate Change, Ministry ofEnvironment and Forests, participation inmeetings, New Delhi

BASANTA K. PRADHAN*


• Member of Sub-Group on Household Savings for

Eleventh Plan

• Member of Economic Technical Reference Group of

HIV-AIDS in Asia

Lectures/ Presentations/ Major ConferencesNOVEMBER 27–29, 2006: “Made a presentation onthe socio-economic impact on households ofHIV-AIDS in India” at the socioeconomicconsultation meeting Colombo, (Organised byUNDP Regional Centre)

DECEMBER 7–9, 2006: Made a presentation onthe socioeconomic impact on households ofHIV-AIDS in India at the Asia-PacificHIV/AIDS economics technical referencegroup meeting; (Organised by UNAIDS,Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur)

DECEMBER 27–29, 2006: “Economic thoughts ofW W Leontief ”, a keynote paper presented atthe 89th annual conference of the IndianEconomic Association KurukshetraUniversity, Kurukshetra, Haryana

* On leave since July 27, 2006 and working at Institute of Economic

Growth (IEG).


2006 2007


2006 2007

ABUSALEH SHARIFF


Member-Secretary (upto December 2006),Prime Minister’s High Level Committee forpreparation of a report on the social, economicand educational status of the Muslimcommunity of India

Lectures/ Presentations/ Major ConferencesJULY 24, 2006: Presented paper on“Institutional provisions under the IndianConstitution favouring democraticparticipation”, at the National Conclave onEmpowerment of Muslims though the IndianConstitution, New Delhi

NOVEMBER 17, 2006: Presented the “Report onthe social, economic and educational status ofMuslims in India” to the Prime Minister ofIndia, New Delhi

JANUARY 13, 2007: Paper on “Growth and equityconcerns in Indian economy and society”,presented at a national seminar on “Challengesand opportunities for Indian Muslims”organised by the Andhra Pradesh UnitedMuslims Action Committee, Hyderabad

JANUARY 17, 2007: Paper on “Present and futureof micro-credit market in India” presented atthe Sa-Dhan Annual conference titled“Greater inclusion: possibilities andprospects,”New Delhi

JANUARY 26, 2007: Paper presented on “Healthstatus, financing and equity in India”presented before the Health Financing TaskForce, Global Economy and DevelopmentProgramme of the Brookings InstitutionWashington, DC

FEBRUARY 3, 2007: Keynote address to the

Indian Muslims Association of America Baltimore, Maryland, USA

FEBRUARY 5, 2007: Key note address to theAligarh Muslim University (Alumni)Association, Washington, DC

FEBRUARY 7, 2007: Attended seminar on“Growth and equity in the Indian economyand society: the case of Indian Muslims”Durham, NC, USA; (Organised by DukeUniversity, Durham, USA in collaborationwith the Center for International Studies,Islamic Studies Center and Center for SouthAsian Studies)

MARCH 24–25, 2007: Paper on “Equity concernsin Indian education system” at the nationalconsultation on “Prime Minister’s high-levelcommittee (Sachar Committee) on social,economic and educational status of theMuslim Community of India” IIM,Ahmedabad; (Organised by Sanchetan)

ANIL KUMAR SHARMA

Lectures/ Presentations/ Major ConferencesAPRIL, JUNE, SEPTEMBER AND DECEMBER 2006:

Attended meetings of the Working Group onFood and Nutrition Security constituted bythe Planning Commission for the 11th Five-Year Plan, New Delhi

APRIL , AUGUST AND OCTOBER 2006: Attendedmeetings in the Ministry of Food andConsumer Affairs on Studies related to Gurand Khandsari industry.New Delhi

MAY 2006: Participated in a seminar on “Ruralincome volatility and inequality in China” byJohn Whalley, Distinguished Fellow,Economic Governance, CIGI, CanadaNew Delhi


2006 2007

JUNE 2006: Participated in a luncheon meetingwith Professor Andrews Rogers, QC,Australian candidate for the WTO appellatebody, New Delhi

JUNE 2006: Participated in an interactivemeeting on WTO related issues with Dr H. V.Singh, Deputy Director General, WTO atPHD Chamber of Commerce and IndustryNew Delhi

AUGUST , SEPTEMBER , OCTOBER , DECEMBER AND

MARCH 2007: Attended meetings in the inter-ministerial group constituted by the Ministryof Commerce and Industry on AgriculturalTrade Negotiations New Delhi

NOVEMBER 2006: Had a meeting with thevisiting team from DFIT, Australia led by Ms Elizabeth Ward on issues facing tradenegotiations in agriculture, New Delhi

NOVEMBER 2006: Had a meeting with theWTO trade policy review team and theMinistry of Commerce and Industry,New Delhi

DECEMBER 2006: Had a meeting with Dr Razeen Sally, London School ofEconomics, on India’s participation inmultilateral and bilateral trade negotiationsNew Delhi

JANUARY 2007: Had meetings with AndreNasser, visiting researcher from ICONE,Brazil, on issues related to agricultural tradenegotiationsNew Delhi

FEBRUARY 2007: Delivered a talk on “WTOagreement on agriculture” at the IndianInstitute of Public Administration (IIPA) forofficers of the Indian Statistical ServiceNew Delhi

MARCH 2007: Had a meeting with ProfessorYorizumi Watanabe of Keio University Japan

R.K. SHUKLA

Selected Positions

• Collaborative partner for the "EB-PUS project" with

Dr M. Bauer, Director, Department of Social

Psychology, London School of Economics, 2007

• Research Fellow, The Royal Society, UK, to carry out

a comparative analysis of “Engagement and

attitudes to science: India and Europe” in

association with Dr M. Bauer, Director, Department

of Social Psychology, London School of Economics,

2006

• Technical Advisor to UNWTO Committee on

Statistics and Macroeconomic Analysis of Tourism,

World Tourism Organisation, Madrid, Spain, 2006

• Member of Working Group on Technical Education

for Formulation of 11th Five-Year Plan, Ministry of

Human Resource Development, Government of

India

• Technical Advisor to Consumer Demand Analysis

for India by McKinsey Global Institute, Washington,

2005–07

• Member of Advisory Council of International

Business Summit India towards Fastest Growing

Economy (IFG-2006), Foundation of Indian Industry

and Economists, New Delhi

• Awarded the Vigyan Sanchar Ratna for contribution

in the field of Science Communication by

Purvanchal University, Uttar Pradesh, 2006

Lectures/ Presentations/ Major ConferencesMAY 2006: “Public understanding of science andtechnology (PUST): results from the FirstIndia Science Report “at PCST-9, Seoul,Korea

JUNE 2006: “Survey research in developingcountries – experience from India”London School of Economics, UK


2006 2007

JUNE 2006: “Development of surveyinstruments and its implementation”London School of Economics,UK

OCTOBER 2006: “Functional relationshipastrology and emographics – indicative resultsfrom Indian and European population”,London School of Economics, UK

NOVEMBER 14, 2006: “Understanding the bigpicture”; SAPRA-India FoundationRoundtable: India and China–comparativeeconomic trends, India Habitat Centre,New Delhi

DECEMBER 2, 2006: “Mapping core competencyfor human resources: key indicators formonitoring and evaluation” at the 58th IndianPharmaceutical Congress, Mumbai

ANUSHREE SINHA


Member of Steering Committee and TechnicalCommittee of the Ministry of Small ScaleIndustry, Government of India, for undertakingthe All-India Census of Micro, Small andMedium Enterprises (MSMEs) during 2006–07

Lectures/ Presentations/ Major ConferencesMAY 1–5, 2006: Invited as a lead co-coordinatingauthor at the “Second IAASTD GlobalAuthors Meeting”, Bangkok, Thailand

MAY 25, 2006: Delivered a lecture on “Women’srights and citizenship: new directions forgender research support at IDRC”, by ClaudieGosselin, IDRC office, New Delhi

JULY 27, 2006: Participated in a conference on“Labour and employment issues in India”New Delhi; (Organised by Institute forHuman Development)

OCTOBER 20 AND 21, 2006: Invited as speakerfrom India on ‘Globalisation: currentframework and economic and social prospectsin India’ at the sixth edition of theInternational Forum on Agriculture and Foodorganised by Coldiretti, Villa d’Este inCernobbio, Italy

NOVEMBER 2, 2006: Delivered a lecture on “Longterm impact of reforms on the informaleconomy and on women in India”, atUniversity of Denver, Graduate School ofInternational Studies, Denver, USA

NOVEMBER 6–10, 2006: Invited as a lead co-ordinating author at the “Third globalauthors meet on international assessment of agricultural science and technology fordevelopment (IAASTD)”, San Jose,Costa Rica

FEBRUARY 5, 2007: Organised and led workshopon “Economic prospects and informality”,NCAER, New Delhi

FEBRUARY 5, 2007: Organised the release andpanel discussion of the book titled “Tradeliberalisation and India’s informal economy”,edited by Barbara Harriss-White andAnushree Sinha. Prof. Arjun K. Sengupta(Chairman, National Commission onEnterprises in the Informal/ UnorganisedSector, GoI) was chief guest, India HabitatCentre, New Delhi

FEBRUARY 22, 2007: Report titled “Examiningemployment figures in the handloom sector”,released by Dr Syeda Hameed, Member,Planning Commission, the chief guest for theoccasion. This report launch was organised byAIACA, (All India Artisans and Craft-workers Welfare Association), IndiaInternational Centre, New Delhi

88 DIRECTOR-GENERAL’S REPORT 2006–07

2006 2007

R. VENKATESAN


Serving Member of the Research Advisory Council for the leading management institute,International Management Institute (IMI),New Delhi

Lectures/ Presentations/ Major ConferencesFEBRUARY 2, 2007: Presentation to Ministry ofSteel and Mines on Social Cost BenefitAnalysis of setting up steel plants, Bhopal

FEBRUARY 2 AND 3, 2007: Participated in the

10th national conference on e-Governanceand made a presentation to all IT Secretarieson e-Readiness assessment, Bhopal.

FEBRUARY 12, 2007: Presentation to HUDACommittee on the use of Input-Output Tablefor arriving at an alternative scheme, NewDelhi

MARCH 14 AND 15, 2007: Participated in anational conference on the “State ofcompetition in India”, Hotel Le Meridian,New Delhi.

89APPENDIX III: RESOURCES

Appendix III: Resources

STAFF COMPOSITION

Composition of NCAER Permanent/ Regular Staff Members in Active Service on March31, 2007Researchers March 31, March 31, March 31, March 31,

2004 2005 2006 2007

(I) Professionals 43 37 35 34

Director-General 1 1 1 1

Level 6 9 11 10 11

Level 5 8 4 3 3

Level 4 17 14 15 11

Level 3 7 7 6 8

Level 2 1 – – –

(II) Field Staff 6 4 4 4

Level 4 5 3 3 3

Level 3 1 1 1 1

Total (I + II) 49 41 39 38

Composition of NCAER Non-Regular Research Staff in Active Service on March 31, 2007Researchers March 31, March 31, March 31, March 31,

2004 2005 2006 2007

Professionals 48 32 47 40

Sr. Consultants/Sr. Advisors 7 4 6 6

Consultant/Editor 15 10 12 14

Research Associate 26 18 29 20

Total 48 32 47 40


2006 2007

STAFF ANALYSIS

Researchers Support staff Total

Total Staff 78 48 126*

Permanent Staff 08 07 15

Regular Staff (3 Years and above) 30 24 54

Short-term Contractual staff 40 16 56

Staff on deputation - 1 1

Staff on lien/ long leave 17 - 17

Male staff 54 40 94

Female staff 24 08 32

Doctorates 27 1 28

Regular Professional Research Staff 2006–07

(I) PROFESSIONALS LEVEL 5 (FELLOW) LEVEL 3 (RESEARCH ANALYST)

Mr. Suman Kumar Bery Dr. Pramod Kumar Ms. Charu JainDirector-General Dr. Saumen Majumdar Ms. Preeti Kakar

Dr. Geethanjali Nataraj Ms. Rupa MalikLEVEL 6 (SENIOR FELLOW) Ms. Nitasha MongaDr. Shashanka Bhide LEVEL 4 (ASSOCIATE FELLOW) Mrs. Poonam MunjalSenior Research Counsellor Dr. J.S. Bedi Mr. Anuj SharmaDr. Rajesh Chadha Acting (Head General Services) Mrs. Anjali Tandon Senior Fellow and Dr. Tarujyoti Buragohain Dr. Tejinder SinghSenior Counsellor Dr. S.K. Dwivedi(Operations) & Secretary Mr. P.K. Ghosh (II) FIELD STAFF

Dr. Amaresh Dubey Mr. R.K. Jaiswal LEVEL 4 (ASSOCIATE FELLOW)

Dr. Hari K. Nagarajan Dr. Laxmi Joshi Mr. S.K. BathlaDr. Sanjib Pohit Dr. Rupinder Kaur Mr. Om Prakash SharmaDr. Abusaleh Shariff Mr. M.M. Khan Mr. K.S. UrsDr. Anil Kumar Sharma Dr. Purna Chandra ParidaDr. R.K. Shukla Dr. Sambasiva Rao LEVEL 3 (RESEARCH ANALYST)

Dr. Anushree Sinha Mr. K.A. Siddiqui Mr. R.S. LandgeDr. Kanhaiya SinghMr. R. Venkatesan

Dr. Pradeep SrivastavaDr. B.K. PradhanMr. S.V. MalveaDr. Anil GumberMr. S.D. BrahmankarDr. Sunil Kumar Sinha

Dr. D.K. PantDr. Saurabh BandyopadhyayMr. Dripto MukhopadhyayMr. A. SubramanainDr. Samantak DasMr. Devender Pratap

Mr. Amrendra SahooMs. Veena KulkarniMr. Santosh KumarMr. Shalabh Kumar SinghMrs. Rachna Sharma

91

2006 2007

APPENDIX III: RESOURCES 91

SUPPORT UNITS

SENIOR CONSULTANTS/

ADVISORS

Prof. D.B. Gupta (Part-time)Mr. Gajendra Haldea(On secondment)Mr. P.L. NarayanaDr. V.P. Ojha (Part-time)Prof. M.R. SalujaDr. Wilima Wadhwa

CONSULTANTS

Mr. M.K. AroraMs. Sanchita ChakravortyMs. Nidhi DhamijaDr. K. Elumalai

Dr. Joydeep GoswamiMr. S.K. MondalMr. Udayan NamboodiriMs. Geetha NateshMr. P.K. RoyDr. Sucharita SenMr. Jaipal SinghMr. R. Sundar Mrs. Ramamani SundarMr. Y.K. Tanwar

RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

Ms. Nandini Acharya Mr. Abhinav AlekshendraMr. Kuntal BasuMr. Sujit BasuMr. Shuvadeep Chakrabarty

Ms. Sutapa DasMs. Krishnashree DeveeMs. Shikha GuptaMr. Indra Narayan JhaMr. Kosar Jamal KhanMr. Devender KumarMr. Abodh KumarMr. Rajesh KumarMr. Barun Deb PalMs. Rashmi RastogiDr. Ch. Purnachandra RaoMr. Ajay Kumar SahuMr. Kaushek SenMs. Deepti SethiMs. Divjot Singh

Composition of Support Units of NCAER March 31, March31, March31, March31,

2004 2005 2006 2007

REGULAR & PERMANENT

Level 5 04 3 02 02

Level 4 02 1 02 03

Level 3 14 13 13 13

Level 2 19 19 13 11

Level 1 04 4 04 04

Total 43 40 35 33

SUPPORT STAFF (SHORT-TERM)

Officers 02 1 3 1

Technical staff 03 3 2 –

Office Staff 10 10 6 6

Service Staff 08 8 8 8

Total 23 22 19 15

Short-term Research Staff 2006–07

Staff on Lien/Long Leave (as on March 31, 2007)


2006 2007

LEVEL 5

Mr. J.M. ChawlaHead, Computer CentreMr. N.J. Sebastian Librarian

LEVEL 4

Mr. B.B. ChandSenior Assistant LibrarianMr. Sanjay KumarFinance OfficerMr. Jai Mohan PanditAdministrative Officer (Personnel & Admn.)

LEVEL 3 (SENIOR EXECUTIVE)

Mrs. Sudesh BalaMr. DharampalMr. Ajay GuptaMrs. Geetu Makhija(P. S. to Director-General)Mr. J.S. PuniaSenior Publications AssistantMr. B. Ramesh

Mr. Praveen SachdevaMr. Praveen SharmaMr. Balwant Singh Mr. Dhanraj SinghMs. Garima SinghMr. Rakesh SrivastavaMr. Netram VermaAssistant Accounts Officer

LEVEL 2 (EXECUTIVE)

Mrs. Shalini AggarwalMr. G. AnilMr. Ram BelasMrs. Sangita ChaudharyMr. Bijay ChouhanMr. Vinod Kumar GuptaMr. G.C. KhulbeMr. Vinay Kumar SharmaMr. Rajender SinghMr. Budh SinghMr. Niraj Kumar Singh

LEVEL 1 (SERVICE ASSISTANT)

Mr. Khurshid Ahmed

Mr. Ram Kumar Mr. Surinder KumarMr. Satyender Singh

SHORT-TERM SUPPORT STAFF

Dr. Dalip Kumar Admn. Officer (Projects)Mrs. Poonam DhawanMr. Mahboob KhanMrs. Jaya KotiMr. Nitin KumarMr. Yogesh KumarMr. Dalip Kumar MishraMr. Ashok Kumar SharmaMs. Sarita SharmaMr. Bhola SinghMr. Dinesh SinghMr. Mam ChandMr. Surya Pal SharmaMr. Kashmir SinghMr. Rajkumar Yadav

Regular Support Staff 2006–07

93

2006 2007


As an integral part of the Council, the Libraryplays a prominent role in supporting theresearch activities Council, augmenting bothprint and electronic resources and providingfast and efficient services to users. Services toresearchers at Council and research scholars,policy makers and consultants visiting thelibrary were further enhanced by introducingnew services like the ‘Contents AlertEconomics’ and easy retrieval systems likeimplementation of the Library Intranet. Morethan a thousand external research scholars andstudents visited the library during 2006–07.

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENTThe Library continued to augment itsresources throughout the year by adding bothprint and electronic resources and making itavailable to researchers through efficientdissemination. The Library added 408 books,395 reports and 609 other documents during2006–07.It has also added more than 500working papers from both Indian researchinstitutions and institutions from abroad. Thelibrary continued to receive documents fromthe International Monetary Fund and AsianDevelopment Bank. The Library receives 370journals and more than one hundrednewsletters.

LIBRARY SERVICES Library services have witnessed a remarkablechange with the successful implementation ofthe Library intranet. The intranet allows theusers to access important business newspapers,full-text access to several journals subscribed

by the library, and access to full-text ofimportant reports available in the publicdomain. It allows users to access variousdatabases available in the library bothsubscribed and free. The intranet can be usedfor online searches of bibliographic databaseslike Artha Suchi and Current AwarenessService in Economics (CASE). Thesedatabases are maintained and continuouslyupdated.

Besides the existing services like SelectiveDissemination of Information (SDI),compilation of bibliographies and databasesearches, a new service, “Contents AlertEconomics”, was introduced during the year.This service directly brings to the desktops ofresearchers the latest contents page of some 68journals in economics and related disciplinesbrought out by Elsevier publications. Thelibrary has privileged access to the full-text ofall these journals with certain cut-off period.The library also introduced on a trial basis fortwo months “Econlit” and other databasesusing the “Ebsco” platform, wherein userscould access full text of articles covered inEconlit.

TOWARDS 2007–08The library intends to create digital libraryresources using the open source SoftwareDspace. Initially, digitisation would beundertaken for reports and other documentsavailable in the public domain like NSSOReports, Planning Commission reports, etc.The library is also working towards making adigital repository of all NCAER publications

LIBRARY


2006 2007

like working papers, reports, etc. available inelectronic format. Digitisation of old NCAERreports is another project the library would liketo initiate provided there is assured funding asmost of the work in this regard has to beoutsourced. It is also proposed to undertake

retroconversion of catalogue (prior to 1998)into machine-readable form so thatautomation process is complete. Bar-coding ofall documents is also proposed to beundertaken during this period.

THE LIBRARY COLLECTION AS ON MARCH 31, 2007 COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS

YEAR STOOD AT:

Year Books Reports Other Documents Total Collection

2005–06 25240 34890 17476 77606

2006–07 25643 35285 18085 79013

The Computer Centre maintains theinformation technology (IT) infrastructure ofNCAER. It services the data processingrequirements of the Council as well.

With the increase in usage of the computeras a productivity tool, the number of desktopshas grown considerably. Each researcher andsupport personnel has been provided with apersonal computer. The Computer Centremaintains 180 high-end Pentium IV desktopPCs, 30 laptops, an array of local and networklaser jet printers, colour laser printers,scanners, CD writers and LCDs for theresearch and support staff. This year, the oldPentium-I based servers have been replacedwith Pentium IV XEON-based servers and wehave migrated the network to Windows 2003platform from existing Windows NT 4.0.

Researchers have been provided witheconometric and statistical software packages/programmes like EVIEWS, GEMPACK,GAMS, STATA, MICROFIT, SHAZAM,among others, have been made available forresearchers along with good email and internetconnectivity through a 256 kbps leased line.Besides, most of the members of the supportstaff have internet and e-mail access. It isplanned to increase the internet bandwidth to

1 mbps and to acquire SPSS software systemin the near future.

NCAER’s own web site (www.ncaer.org<http://www.ncaer.org/>) has undergonemajor changeover in this year.

An office management system is in place inthe Council. This helps streamline theadministrative activities, maintain records ofpersonnel as well as serve as a managementinformation system.

Together with the Library, the ComputerCentre is working on the implementation of adata management system for conversion of allcompleted primary survey data sets to a usableformat to facilitate research and analysis work.

Some major data processing projectshandled by the Computer Centre during2006–07 included:

India programme for research in humandevelopment

Impact assessment of “Jan KerosenePariyojana”

An investigation of reasons for highstudent drop-out at secondary and seniorsecondary stages

Study on USAID India State FiscalManagement Reform Phase – I .


2006 2007

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NATIONAL COUNCIL OF APPLIED ECONOMIC RESEARCHParisila Bhawan 11 Indraprastha Estate New Delhi 110 002 IndiaT +91 11 2337 9861-63 F +91 11 2337 0164 E infor@ ncaer.org W www.ncaer.org