World Bank and Food Security, by Madhura Swaminathan

"There is enough evidence now that the Structural Adjustment Programs initiated by the World Bank have been associated with severe reduction in food subsidies in a large number of countries."

Madhura Swaminathan shares her concerns about the implications of World Bank and the IMF narrow targeting of food subsidies. By reducing the poverty line to an alarming level, the government, under the influence of international financial institutions, abandons millions of Indians to starvation.

Author of several books, like Financial Liberalization and Rural Credit in India (2005), Madhura Swaminathan is an economics professor in the Indian institute of Statistics, Kolkatta.

Indian Subnational Finances and the IMF

Our ex secretary at the Finance Ministry who was a member of the EFC and maybe even advising the CCEA joined the IMF this year: Adarsh Kishore

- Vinay Baindur

http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=21235.0

The TFC report is also a case of the Consultants doing a job through IIMA and other places
The summary clearly brings out how the fin coms are an important place for many civil society groups to target so that we can keep a track of this like the 13th FC (which will rear its head anytime). The commercialisation and market orientation is more important and that is most CRUCIAL for the IMF etc . NOW THAT STABILIZATION IS CLOSE TO BEING ACHIEVED how far does this make goal of MDGs and poverty alleviation

So remarkable that the conditions are now not being pushed NOT so much by the IFIs but BY OUR OWN COUNTRY SYSTEMS we can see the examples of EIA and NEP, NURM and UIDSSMT, and also others like TFC etc



Indian Subnational Finances: Recent Performance

Author/Editor: Kishore, Adarsh | Prasad, A.
Authorized for Distribution: August 1, 2007
Electronic Access: Free Full Text (PDF file size is 375KB)
Use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this PDF file.

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF. The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate.

Summary: The fiscal performance of the States in India has been an area of concern for quite some time. The Twelfth Finance Commission (TFC) recommended a three-pronged strategy to alleviate States' fiscal distress, built around greater orientation toward market discipline, incentives for fiscal consolidation targets, and commitment to fiscal correction. We find that States have created fiscal space through raising revenues and reducing and reprioritizing expenditures. Looking ahead, expansion of fiscal space is essential to meet the States' large infrastructure and social needs in order to alleviate bottlenecks to growth. This needs to be accomplished without undermining fiscal sustainability.