Economic Policy and State Owned Enterprises: Evolution Towards Privatisation in India

The paper endeavours to look into the evolution of the role of the state and move towards privatisation in India. It starts with a discussion on the role of State intervention in the economic development within the contours of socio-economic and political circumstances. It recognises the fact that different scholars have advocated various ways through which state can intervene in an advanced capitalist economy and a developing economy or a colony. The nature of intervention is different in each case. The paper argues that State owned enterprises (SOEs) are one such manifestation of state Intervention. In many developing countries, state enterprises are assigned the responsibility of fulfilling specific social goals, which have their origin in colonial period. Whatever may be the idea behind the creation of such enterprises, they come into existence either by direct state investment or through nationalisation of private enterprises. The state intervenes through state owned enterprises in the countries where investment needs for different projects are large and the expected returns at least in the short run are too low to motivate private capital to invest. Since 1980, however, the intervention by the state through state owned enterprises has been undergoing a close scrutiny in many developing countries including India. The argument is that excessive political interference and lack of managerial interests (autonomy) hamper the performance of state enterprises. It has resulted in the reflection of various theories on assessing the performance of state enterprises which includes property rights theory, public choice theory, non-market failure and competition theory. Since economic policy making by the state requires balance of accumulation and legitimisation, then generally, the adopted economic policy serves the interests of a few major social groups. These dominant social groups react to the adopted policy and their reactions are normally taken into account while amending the existing policy or making the new economic policy. Hence, the proper understanding of the economic policy of an economy like India necessitates its historical evaluation. Therefore, in this chapter, the whole period of interaction of economic policy and state owned sector in the post-independence India has been divided into following four phases: (i) 1950-1965, (ii) 1966-1984, (iii) 1984-91 and (iv) post-1991 policy regime. During the first phase, i.e. 1950-65, the growth rates of the economy were generally high and state owned sector was occupying the position of 'commanding heights'. Despite the economy passing through crisis during this phase, the state owned sector enjoyed by and large a significant position. The policy adopted in 1982 was a step forward towards the process of liberalisation. In state owned enterprises, a visible change in the attitude took place. The economy was made predominantly dependent upon market forces rather than on the state. The industrial policy that was initiated in 1985 was the culmination of the process of drifting away, which started during the second phase of the economic policy in India. In the Post 1991, Policy Regime, the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Plan documents suggested many policy initiatives towards restructuring, modernisation, rationalisation of capacity, product-mix changes, privatisation, autonomy, performance accountability and disinvestments policy. However many studies emerged in favour of and against the policy of privatisation and disinvestment of SOEs and also on the performance of those enterprises that were privatised. While referring to those studies, the chapter looks into the trends of the privatisation of State Owned Enterprises from 1991 to 2000 and points out that during this period, the government offloaded shares in as many as 39 state owned enterprises. However, since March 2000 emphasis has increasingly been on strategic sales of identified state owned enterprises (SOEs). The chapter ends with a critical analysis of the performance of disinvestment process in india and observes that the policy of disinvestment has been looked upon with scepticism. JEL Classifications: O11, P41, P47, P52economic policy, privatisation, state owned enterprises, evolution, disinvestment

A Descriptive Study to Assess the Prevalence of Minor Ailments during Pregnancy, Home Care Remedies Adopted by Primigravida Mothers and to Develop an Information Booklet regarding the Management of Minor Ailments during Pregnancy in a Selected Hospital of Delhi

A descriptive study to assess the prevalence of minor ailments during pregnancy, home care remedies adopted by primigravida antenatal mothers, and to develop an information booklet regarding the management of minor ailments was undertaken in a selected hospital of Delhi. The objectives of the study were to assess prevalence of minor ailments during pregnancy among primigravida antenatal mothers, to assess the home care remedies adopted for minor ailments during pregnancy by antenatal primigravida mothers and to develop an information booklet regarding the management of minor ailments. Descriptive research design was used to achieve the objectives of the study. A total of 30 samples, i.e., antenatal primigravida mothers, were selected from a selected hospital of New Delhi, using purposive sampling technique. The tools used for data collection were semi-structured interview schedule to determine the demographic data as well as to assess the occurrence of minor ailments during pregnancy and home care adopted by them. Data collection was done on 5 May, 2017 among primigravida antenatal mothers. Significant findings of the study were that all the antenatal mothers experienced minor ailments during their pregnancy and those mothers also used home care for some of the minor ailments they experienced during their pregnancy

A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Program on Immunization on Knowledge of Mothers Visiting a Selected Maternity Center of Delhi

All mothers wish good health for their children. Health workers desire all children are immunized against vaccine preventable diseases. Immunization is vital; it protects nearly 3/4th of children against major childhood illness. There are several diseases, which can be easily prevented by timely vaccination as a part of routine immunization. Every child has the right to benefit from the appropriate traditional and new life-saving vaccinations. A study was conducted with an objective to evaluate the effectiveness of planned teaching program on knowledge of mothers on immunization of their children visiting a selected maternity center of Delhi. Research approach used for the study was quantitative and the research design used was pre-experimental research design. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge of mothers regarding immunization. It contains 15 items to judge the knowledge regarding child immunization. Study findings revealed that the mean post-test knowledge score (10.9) was more than the mean pre-test knowledge score (6.9). There was mean difference of 4 between mean pre-test and post-test score. Hence the teaching program was found to be effective in improving the knowledge of mothers regarding immunization

Evaluation of Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) Genotypes for Morphological Traits

Thirty small-flowered genotypes of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) were evaluated for various morphological and floral characters at Research Farm, Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, PAU, Ludhiana, during 2013-14. All the varieties suitable for different purposes like pot culture, garden decoration, cut flower, loose flower and bedding purposes were evaluated. Results revealed that the genotypes differed significantly with each other with respect to plant growth and flowering parameters like plant height, number of branches per plant, plant spread, days taken to bud appearance, and, floral traits like number of flowers per plant, diameter of flower, flowering duration, flower colour and flower type. On the basis of morphological traits, the varieties were grouped into various categories for different purposes, viz., cut flower, loose flower, bedding/garden decoration and pot culture

People Analytics and Disruptive Technologies are Transforming Human Resources Roles

Human Resources Information Systems that collect, store, and analyze people data are beginning to view the role of people analytics and other related technologies favorably as they provide new, timely and objective insights which aid in bringing about a transformational change in the roles of HR. People analytics is thus an excellent platform for HR to achieve its long awaited ‘Strategic Partner’ role. Organizations of all sizes and types are adopting and adapting to people analytics. Several well-known companies have recently demonstrated the benefits of using people analytics for HR functions. However, people analytics is not without roadblocks of unethical or illegal use of people data. Additionally, shortages of qualified staff able to adapt to the increasingly technology driven workplace will slow down HR\u27s transformation. This paper studies the role of people analytics in transforming HR. It examines some real-life organizational examples in people analytics, and challenges for its widespread adoption. It also discusses the future of this burgeoning trend in HR, as well as potential applications of the other disruptive technologies

Fostering Engagement and Learning in Students through Assignment Modifications During COVID-19

Critical thinking and innovative problem solving are two crucial skills for management students to develop in this fast-changing business world. These skills are even more relevant in today’s turbulent times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Case analysis and simulation games are popular pedagogical tools to develop these skills in a classroom setting. Remote learning due to COVID-19 has made it challenging for instructors to use these tools effectively. While working within the same course timeframe and budgets, an instructor in a national southern university, opportunistically used the current context of COVID-19 to modify a written assignment for an introductory HR course and encouraged students to think critically beyond HR functions and its direct applications. Instead of a class discussion on HR functions being translated to an online discussion, the instructor created a pseudo-simulation of HR functions. Students were asked to select one out of four business sectors - higher education, big chain of restaurants, commercial transportation or grocery stores, and explain changes in the operations of any three HR functions due to the pandemic. The assignment required not only a deeper understanding of HR functions but their connections with other business operations and overall market – arguably a stretch task that forced the students to think beyond their textbook information and use the context to critically think and arrive at innovative answers. Findings suggest that the simple design change in the assignment enhanced overall quality and presentation of student assignments compared to assignments without these specific contextual requirements. Implications of this change on student learning and engagement is discussed

Economic Policy and State Owned Enterprises: Evolution Towards Privatisation in India

The paper endeavours to look into the evolution of the role of the state and move towards privatisation in India. It starts with a discussion on the role of State intervention in the economic development within the contours of socio-economic and political circumstances. It recognises the fact that different scholars have advocated various ways through which state can intervene in an advanced capitalist economy and a developing economy or a colony. The nature of intervention is different in each case. The paper argues that State owned enterprises (SOEs) are one such manifestation of state Intervention. In many developing countries, state enterprises are assigned the responsibility of fulfilling specific social goals, which have their origin in colonial period. Whatever may be the idea behind the creation of such enterprises, they come into existence either by direct state investment or through nationalisation of private enterprises. The state intervenes through state owned enterprises in the countries where investment needs for different projects are large and the expected returns at least in the short run are too low to motivate private capital to invest. Since 1980, however, the intervention by the state through state owned enterprises has been undergoing a close scrutiny in many developing countries including India. The argument is that excessive political interference and lack of managerial interests (autonomy) hamper the performance of state enterprises. It has resulted in the reflection of various theories on assessing the performance of state enterprises which includes property rights theory, public choice theory, non-market failure and competition theory. Since economic policy making by the state requires balance of accumulation and legitimisation, then generally, the adopted economic policy serves the interests of a few major social groups. These dominant social groups react to the adopted policy and their reactions are normally taken into account while amending the existing policy or making the new economic policy. Hence, the proper understanding of the economic policy of an economy like India necessitates its historical evaluation. Therefore, in this chapter, the whole period of interaction of economic policy and state owned sector in the post-independence India has been divided into following four phases: (i) 1950-1965, (ii) 1966-1984, (iii) 1984-91 and (iv) post-1991 policy regime. During the first phase, i.e. 1950-65, the growth rates of the economy were generally high and state owned sector was occupying the position of 'commanding heights'. Despite the economy passing through crisis during this phase, the state owned sector enjoyed by and large a significant position. The policy adopted in 1982 was a step forward towards the process of liberalisation. In state owned enterprises, a visible change in the attitude took place. The economy was made predominantly dependent upon market forces rather than on the state. The industrial policy that was initiated in 1985 was the culmination of the process of drifting away, which started during the second phase of the economic policy in India. In the Post 1991, Policy Regime, the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Plan documents suggested many policy initiatives towards restructuring, modernisation, rationalisation of capacity, product-mix changes, privatisation, autonomy, performance accountability and disinvestments policy. However many studies emerged in favour of and against the policy of privatisation and disinvestment of SOEs and also on the performance of those enterprises that were privatised. While referring to those studies, the chapter looks into the trends of the privatisation of State Owned Enterprises from 1991 to 2000 and points out that during this period, the government offloaded shares in as many as 39 state owned enterprises. However, since March 2000 emphasis has increasingly been on strategic sales of identified state owned enterprises (SOEs). The chapter ends with a critical analysis of the performance of disinvestment process in india and observes that the policy of disinvestment has been looked upon with scepticism. JEL Classifications: O11, P41, P47, P5

Economic Policy and State Owned Enterprises: Evolution Towards Privatisation in India

The paper endeavours to look into the evolution of the role of the state and move towards privatisation in India. It starts with a discussion on the role of State intervention in the economic development within the contours of socio-economic and political circumstances. It recognises the fact that different scholars have advocated various ways through which state can intervene in an advanced capitalist economy and a developing economy or a colony. The nature of intervention is different in each case. The paper argues that State owned enterprises (SOEs) are one such manifestation of state Intervention. In many developing countries, state enterprises are assigned the responsibility of fulfilling specific social goals, which have their origin in colonial period. Whatever may be the idea behind the creation of such enterprises, they come into existence either by direct state investment or through nationalisation of private enterprises. The state intervenes through state owned enterprises in the countries where investment needs for different projects are large and the expected returns at least in the short run are too low to motivate private capital to invest. Since 1980, however, the intervention by the state through state owned enterprises has been undergoing a close scrutiny in many developing countries including India. The argument is that excessive political interference and lack of managerial interests (autonomy) hamper the performance of state enterprises. It has resulted in the reflection of various theories on assessing the performance of state enterprises which includes property rights theory, public choice theory, non-market failure and competition theory. Since economic policy making by the state requires balance of accumulation and legitimisation, then generally, the adopted economic policy serves the interests of a few major social groups. These dominant social groups react to the adopted policy and their reactions are normally taken into account while amending the existing policy or making the new economic policy. Hence, the proper understanding of the economic policy of an economy like India necessitates its historical evaluation. Therefore, in this chapter, the whole period of interaction of economic policy and state owned sector in the post-independence India has been divided into following four phases: (i) 1950-1965, (ii) 1966-1984, (iii) 1984-91 and (iv) post-1991 policy regime. During the first phase, i.e. 1950-65, the growth rates of the economy were generally high and state owned sector was occupying the position of 'commanding heights'. Despite the economy passing through crisis during this phase, the state owned sector enjoyed by and large a significant position. The policy adopted in 1982 was a step forward towards the process of liberalisation. In state owned enterprises, a visible change in the attitude took place. The economy was made predominantly dependent upon market forces rather than on the state. The industrial policy that was initiated in 1985 was the culmination of the process of drifting away, which started during the second phase of the economic policy in India. In the Post 1991, Policy Regime, the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Plan documents suggested many policy initiatives towards restructuring, modernisation, rationalisation of capacity, product-mix changes, privatisation, autonomy, performance accountability and disinvestments policy. However many studies emerged in favour of and against the policy of privatisation and disinvestment of SOEs and also on the performance of those enterprises that were privatised. While referring to those studies, the chapter looks into the trends of the privatisation of State Owned Enterprises from 1991 to 2000 and points out that during this period, the government offloaded shares in as many as 39 state owned enterprises. However, since March 2000 emphasis has increasingly been on strategic sales of identified state owned enterprises (SOEs). The chapter ends with a critical analysis of the performance of disinvestment process in india and observes that the policy of disinvestment has been looked upon with scepticism. JEL Classifications: O11, P41, P47, P5

Can preterm birth be gainfully prevented?

Background: Preterm birth is a major cause of perinatal deaths and a significant cause of long-term loss of human potential amongst survivors all around the world. Complications of preterm birth are the single largest direct cause of neonatal deaths, responsible for 35% of the world’s 3.1 million deaths a year, and the second most common cause of under-5 deaths after pneumonia. In almost all high and middle income countries of the world, preterm birth is a leading cause of child death. The effect of preterm birth amongst some survivors may continue throughout life, impairing neuro-developmental functioning through increasing the risk of cerebral palsy, learning impairment and visual disorders and affecting long term physical health with a higher risk of non-communicable diseases. Premature infants have to deal with variety of problems including almost every system of body. Hence the preterm birth is one of the largest single conditions in the global burden of disease analysis given in the high mortality and the considerable risk of lifelong impairment.Methods: The present study was conducted on 100 patients admitted with spontaneous preterm labour with effect from November 2012 to March 2014. The risk factors leading to preterm labour were evaluated along with mode of delivery and neonatal outcome. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the need and success of various monitoring procedures and interventional strategies if they could improve the gestational age and gestational weight to improve perinatal outcome. The neonatologist joined in this study in providing neonatal care to reduce morbidities in these high risk preterm babies.Results: The data was evaluated and significant prolongation of pregnancy in preterm cases was achieved by optimization of preterm births by appropriate management.Conclusions: Identification of various risk factors leading to preterm labour and their proper management at tertiary care centre can improve the neonatal survival