In the Vacuum of Public Action Social Security in Orissa: A Long Way to Go

This paper is part of a large study on the Social Protection in Rural India and China. In this paper, we attempt at a critical appraisal of the historical development and experience of social security initiatives in Orissa, India. Unlike in the context of Kerala, an unfavourable dynamics of historical conjunction of ecological, economic, social, and institutional conditions in Orissa has worked itself out to contribute to the high level of insecurity there. We argue that the failure of Orissa was in its inability to develop the forces of organization and mobilization into its logical end of participatory development process for a secured life on account of some unfavourable historical conjunction. It is also attempted in this paper to categorize the on-going social security schemes according to the definitional framework of our study, that is, in terms of the definitional division of social security into basic and contingent social security.Social security; Orissa; Development; Contingency

Social Security in India: The Long Lane Treaded and the Longer Road Ahead Towards Universalization

This paper is part of a large study on the Social Protection in Rural India and China. In this paper, we attempt at a critical appraisal of the historical development and experience of social security initiatives at the all India level. Based on the findings of the review, we visualize a road map to a more comprehensive and participatory initiatives in provision of social security by the state, while stressing the role of the civil society, non-governmental organizations and mass organizations. It is also attempted to categorize the on-going social security schemes according to the definitional framework of our study, that is, in terms of the definitional division of social security into basic and contingent social security.Social security; India; poverty; development; contingency

Evolution of Social Security in the Lap of Public Action: Recounting the Experience of Kerala

This paper is part of a large study on the Social Protection in Rural India and China. In this paper, we attempt at a critical appraisal of the historical development and experience of social security initiatives in Kerala, India. We situate the development experience of Kerala in a conceptual framework of participatory development, which we interpret in a broad context of organization and mobilization of people at specific junctures of historical progress of a society. Thus participatory development, in our view is participation in the progressive process of realization of human rights and thus in development; that is, public action, with an effective public demand and a wiling public supply, conditioned by the legitimate function of the state. It is also attempted to categorize the on-going social security schemes according to the definitional framework of our study, that is, in terms of the definitional division of social security into basic and contingent social security.Social security; Kerala; development; contingency

Imaging hydrogen oxidation activity of catalyst-coated perfluoro sulfonic acid-polymer electrolyte membranes using scanning electrochemical microscopy

Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (SECM) is a unique technique for studying fast heterogeneous kinetics and to map reactivity gradients along the surface of an electrocatalyst, especially when it involves multiple surface sites of varying reactivity. It combines the dual advantages offered by ultramicroelectrode (UME) voltammetry in terms of reduced ohmic drop and insignificant double layer charging contribution with the advantages of imaging by rastering the UME across an electro-active surface. In this work, we demonstrate these distinctive features of SECM in evaluating reactivity gradients on catalyst (Pt/C) coated Nafion® films towards hydrogen oxidation activity, a reaction of immense technological relevance. Imaging has been performed in the feedback mode by allowing H2 evolution at the tip (25 μm Pt UME), which is reoxidized at the substrate electrode containing Pt/C-Nafion film. Interesting distribution in H2 oxidation activity has been observed as a function of potential applied to the Pt/C-Nafion film. In addition, a plot of normalized tip current versus the substrate electrode potential indicates the effect of potential-induced reactivity change in the catalyst-coated membranes. The results of the present investigation are believed to be useful to H2/O2 PEM fuel cells with respect to evaluating reactivity gradients of catalyst-coated polymer electrolyte membranes, which is important to rectify problems related to catalyst utilization

Time and cost over-runs of the power projects in Kerala

Delays in project implementation and the attendant cost overruns have been a regular feature in the electric power sector in Kerala. Almost all the public projects, including the prestigious major hydroelectric project of Idukki, have been the unfortunate victims of time and cost overruns on account of a number of avoidable factors, labour disputes being singled out as the prime villain. In this paper we take up a detailed analysis of the cost of inefficiency involved in the time and cost overruns in the power projects of the KSEB, and their possible causes. We find that the arguments by the government in favour of private sector participation in power generating capacity addition, under the pretext of a severe resources crunch, is flimsy to the extent that the government is actually over-spending on each of the projects undertaken. We find that the real problem arises not out of a shrinking coffer but out of the inefficiency of management coupled with the political economy of vicious rent seeking. JEL Classification : L94, Q48 Key Words : Kerala, power sector, time and cost overruns, labour disputes, corruptio

The political economy of public utilities : a study of the Indian power sector

In this paper, we attempt at an analysis of the political economy of the Indian power sector with special reference to Kerala in the light of a generic model of the political economy of public utilities we develop in the first part of the paper. The model seeks to explain the political economy of the rent seeking drives in a non-Smithian imperfect regime of self-interest maximisation, with a regulatory structure of the public utility described in a framework of the principal-agent relationship. In contrast to the usual neo-classical monolithic representation of principal and agent, we characterise each entity in a Marxian-Kaleckian vein, as a composite set of conflicting sectional interests. This helps us develop a comprehensive perspective of the politico-economic implications of the relationship among the public, government and utility. Based on this generic model, we seek to analyse, in the second part of the paper, the political economy of the power sector in India, with emphasis on Kerala. We also attempt, wherever possible, to estimate the costs of corruption involved in the administration of the power sector. JEL Classification: E11, H10, H4, L94, N4, P16 Key Words: India, political economy, rent seeking, principal-agent, public utility, power secto

Plight of the power sector in India : SEBs and their saga of inefficiency

True to the spirit of a social-democratic State, India had originally evolved her power development policy, and shouldered that responsibility, in line with the State’s professed commitment to honouring and ensuring social security equations. Though the State Electricity Boards (SEBs) were statutorily required to function as autonomous service-cumcommercial corporations, they became in effect agents of the Governments to subserve the socio-economic policies of the State, and hence never felt the requirement to break even or to contribute to capacity expansion programs. This unaccountability culture in turn led to gross inefficiency at all levels – technical, institutional and organizational, as well as financial. And the cost escalation from such pampered inefficiency remained above the revenue realized from an irrational subsidized pricing practice. With losses mounting up, the field was getting cleared for some new entrants of ideas and practices, that the so-called ‘fiscal crisis’ at the turn of the nineties ushered in subsequently. Thus has commenced an era of reforms and restructuring of power sector in India, at the initiation of the World Bank that has also lit up an informed atmosphere of debates and discourses. However, little light has been thrown on the significant aspects of inefficiency costs involved in the SEBs’ forced functioning that allegedly finally warranted the reforms. The present study is a modest attempt at this. Here, inter alia, we have estimated, on some very plausible assumptions, the avoidable cost of inefficiency at a few amenable levels and found it to represent about one-third of the reported cost of electricity supply in India in 1997-98 ! And this is regardless of a number of other possible inefficiency sources at all levels of performance. Jel Classification : Q4; L94 Key words: India, electricity, cost inefficiency, commercial loss, reform

Ultrafast switching time and third order nonlinear coefficients of microwave treated single walled carbon nanotube suspensions

Microwave treated water soluble and amide functionalized single walled carbon nanotubes have been investigated using femtosecond degenerate pump-probe and nonlinear transmission experiments. The time resolved differential transmission using 75 femtosecond pulse with the central wavelength of 790 nm shows a bi-exponential ultrafast photo-bleaching with time constants of of 160 fs (130 fs) and 920 fs (300 fs) for water soluble (amide functionalized) nanotubes. Open and closed aperture z-scans show saturation absorption and positive (negative) nonlinear refraction for water soluble (amide functionalized) nanotubes. Two photon absorption coefficient,beata ~250 cm/GW (650 cm/GW) and nonlinear index, gamma ~ 15 cm^2/pW (-30 cm^2/pW) are obtained from the theoretical fit in the saturation limit to the data for two types of nanotubes.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure

Evolution of Social Security in the Lap of Public Action: Recounting the Experience of Kerala

This paper is part of a large study on the Social Protection in Rural India and China. In this paper, we attempt at a critical appraisal of the historical development and experience of social security initiatives in Kerala, India. We situate the development experience of Kerala in a conceptual framework of participatory development, which we interpret in a broad context of organization and mobilization of people at specific junctures of historical progress of a society. Thus participatory development, in our view is participation in the progressive process of realization of human rights and thus in development; that is, public action, with an effective public demand and a wiling public supply, conditioned by the legitimate function of the state. It is also attempted to categorize the on-going social security schemes according to the definitional framework of our study, that is, in terms of the definitional division of social security into basic and contingent social security

In the Vacuum of Public Action Social Security in Orissa: A Long Way to Go

This paper is part of a large study on the Social Protection in Rural India and China. In this paper, we attempt at a critical appraisal of the historical development and experience of social security initiatives in Orissa, India. Unlike in the context of Kerala, an unfavourable dynamics of historical conjunction of ecological, economic, social, and institutional conditions in Orissa has worked itself out to contribute to the high level of insecurity there. We argue that the failure of Orissa was in its inability to develop the forces of organization and mobilization into its logical end of participatory development process for a secured life on account of some unfavourable historical conjunction. It is also attempted in this paper to categorize the on-going social security schemes according to the definitional framework of our study, that is, in terms of the definitional division of social security into basic and contingent social security