A seamless blend of fable and philosophy, the Bhagavata Purana is perhaps the most revered text in the Vaishnava tradition. It brings to life the legends of gods, asuras, sages and kings-all the while articulating the crucial ethical and philosophical tenets that underpin Hindu spiritualism. The narrative unfolds through a series of conversations and interconnected stories. We are told how the sage Vyasa was inspired by Narada to compose the Bhagavata Purana as a means to illumine the path to a spiritual life. We learn of the devotion of Prahlada, the austerity of Dhruva, and the blinding conceit of Daksha. Also recounted are tales of the many incarnations of Vishnu, especially Krishna, whom we see grow from a beloved and playful child to a fierce protector of the faithful.

This book is a collection of papers addressing the concerns of a post reform era and the agricultural sector. Within this broad issue, the book addresses the concerns of small marginal farmers. Each article takes a fresh and comprehensive look at various issues regarding agricultural markets and the new economic paradigm.

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are turning out to be one of the stiffest challenges for India's economic policy reforms. Since the announcement of SEZ rules on 10 February 2006, these zones have aroused unprecedented controversy. The emotionally charged debate on SEZs has often produced inflexible positions on either side. The unusually strong public reaction has also forced policymakers to revisit several aspects of the policy in recent months.

Why are SEZs so controversial? Will they really exacerbate income inequality, endanger food security and worsen regional imbalance? Or will they help Indian industry in taking its final leap onto the global arena? Only time will provide the answers. As the first book on India's SEZs, this volume examines different popular perceptions - both good and bad - surrounding these zones. Apart from the international evidence and the Indian story, the book looks closely at critical issues like financial viability, land requirements, extant rules and the political economy of SEZs. Admitting that the last word on the subject is far from being spoken, the book contends that the SEZ saga will be a test of strength for the country's social and political concensus on its economic policies and future reforms. Introduced by eminent economist Bibek Debroy, this book is a must read.

The Valmiki Ramayana remains a living force in the lives of the Indian people. A timeless epic, it recounts the legend of the noble prince Rama and his battle to vanquish the demon king Ravana. Even before he is crowned king of Ayodhya, Rama is exiled to the Dandaka forests where he is accompanied by his beauteous wife Sita and loyal brother Lakshmana. Deep in the jungle, Sita is abducted by Ravana and taken to his island kingdom Lanka, setting into motion a dramatic chain of events that culminates in an epoch-defining war. Filled with adventure and spectacle, the Ramayana is also the poignant story of a family caught up in the conflict between personal duty and individual desires. In Bibek Debroy's majestic new translation, the complete and unabridged text of the Critical Edition of this beloved epic can now be relished by a new generation of readers.

Vulnerability to poverty is clearly linked to the Poor's access to primary entitlements, which in turn depends on a functioning 'public realm'. Justice and judicial reforms are central to this. Policy-making for an efficient and citizen-oriented judiciary in India has always lacked a comprehensive approach. The 'piece meal' initiatives hitherto initiated never became imbedded. The essays in the book articulates for the very first time for India, a wide-ranging judicial reform agenda that includes improvements in judicial governance, its linkages to economic growth, alternate dispute resolution, human resource development in the judicial branches, the use of IT, legal education, judicial and non-judicial training, and funding civil society initiatives for legal empowerment. Every essay forms a vital arm in the area of Judicial Reforms. However, the trajectory of suggested judicial reforms echoes the classic law and development movement bypassing the legal profession, which is less by design and more by default.

India has fallen far and fast from the runaway growth rates it enjoyed in the first decade of the twenty-first century. In?order to reverse this trend, New Delhi must seriously reflect on its policy choices across a wide range of issue areas.

"Getting India Back on Track"?broadly coincides with the 2014 Indian elections to spur a public debate about the program that the next government should pursue in order to return the country to a path of high growth. It convenes some of India's most accomplished analysts to recommend policies in every major sector of the Indian economy. Taken together, these seventeen focused and concise memoranda offer policymakers and the general public alike a clear blueprint for India's future.

Praise for "Getting India Back on Track"

"Bibek Debroy and Ashley J. Tellis have brought together an impressive group of experts who provide a clear road map to move India forward in 2014. Anyone invested in the country's success should read this book." --Arun Shourie, former Indian minister of disinvestment, communication, and information technology

"It is rare to find a group of experts as accomplished and diverse as those represented in "Getting India Back on Track." Their work builds a strong foundation for a real dialogue about India's future at a time when a generational change in India's leadership will set the course for decades to come. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace should be complimented for undertaking such a worthwhile project." --Frank Wisner, former U.S. ambassador to India and former under secretary of defense for policy

"Focusing on a range of key issues, "Getting India Back on Track" has captured the scale and complexity as well as the need for resetting India's policies at the national and state levels. This excellent volume will be a very valuable resource to key policy framers and decisionmakers in India's new government." --Naresh Chandra, former cabinet secretary, and former Indian Ambassador to the United States

Contents

Foreword

Ratan N. Tata (Chairman, Tata Trusts)

Introduction Ashley J. Tellis and Reece Trevor (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)

1. Maintaining Macroeconomic Stability Ila Patnaik (National Institute of Public Finance and Policy)

2. Dismantling the Welfare State Surjit Bhalla (Oxus Investments)

3. Revamping Agriculture and the Public Distribution System Ashok Gulati (Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices)

4. Revisiting Manufacturing Policy Rajiv Kumar (Centre for Policy Research)

5. Generating Employment Omkar Goswami (Corporate and Economic Research Group)

6. Expanding Education and Skills Laveesh Bhandari (Indicus Analytics)

7. Confronting Health Challenges A. K. Shiva Kumar (National Advisory Council)

8. Accelerating Infrastructure Modernization Rajiv Lall and Ritu Anand (IDFC Limited)

9. Managing Urbanization Somik Lall and Tara Vishwanath (World Bank)

10. Renovating Land Management Barun Mitra (Liberty Institute)

11. Addressing Water Management Tushaar Shah (International Water Management Institute) and Shilp Verma (independent researcher)

12. Reforming Energy Policy and Pricing Sunjoy Joshi (Observer Research Foundation)

13. Managing the Environment Ligia Noronha (Energy and Resources Institute)

14. Strengthening Rule of Law Devesh Kapur (University of Pennsylvania) and Milan Vaishnav (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)

15. Correcting the Administrative Deficit Bibek Debroy (Centre for Policy Research)

16. Building Advanced Technology Capacity for Competitive Arms Acquisition Ravinder Pal Singh (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)

17. Rejuvenating Foreign Policy C. Raja Mohan (Observer Research Foundation and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

This is a masterful translation of the "Bhagavad Gita", along with the Sanskrit original. A faithful rendition of the 2000-year-old 'Song Celestial', Bibek Debroy's translation resonates with the spirit of the original, while using modern idiom and language. He captures, verse by verse, the essence of this ancient philosophical poem, which debates eternal questions of right and wrong, action and consequence, and the conflicting nature of duty and love. The text stands by itself, complete and without interpolation, juxtaposed with the Sanskrit for easy reference; interpretation and explanation are tucked away as notes at the end.

The railways did more than link India - they brought its people together, changing histories, forging destinies, and leaving a lasting legacy. This sumptuously illustrated book traces that history from the early plans of the 1830s - from the laying of the first line, and the expansion of the train network into the heart of the country, to the role of the railways in India's momentous freedom movement and the high-speed Diamond Quadrilateral project. Indian Railways does more than celebrate the awe-inspiring bridges, stations, tunnels, and locomotives of the railway system. It traces the development of technology, explores the operational and commercial aspects of train travel, and documents the railways' transition from a colonial tool of expansion and trade to an intricate system with a distinct national identity. Most of all, it tells the story of the people who built and planned the railways and the locomotives that ran on them - their vision, their triumphs and tragedies, and their legacy.

A seamless blend of fable and philosophy, the Bhagavata Purana is perhaps the most revered text in the Vaishnava tradition. It brings to life the legends of gods, asuras, sages and kings-all the while articulating the crucial ethical and philosophical tenets that underpin Hindu spiritualism. The narrative unfolds through a series of conversations and interconnected stories. We are told how the sage Vyasa was inspired by Narada to compose the Bhagavata Purana as a means to illumine the path to a spiritual life. We learn of the devotion of Prahlada, the austerity of Dhruva, and the blinding conceit of Daksha. Also recounted are tales of the many incarnations of Vishnu, especially Krishna, whom we see grow from a beloved and playful child to a fierce protector of the faithful.

This is the ninth book in the definitive and magnificent 10-volume unabridged translation of one of the rare English translations of the full epic. Bibek Debroy makes the Mahabharata marvellously accessible to contemporary readers. Dispute over land and kingdom may lie at the heart of this story of war between cousins-the Pandavas and the Kouravas-but the Mahabharata is about conflicts of dharma. These conflicts are immense and various, singular and commonplace. Throughout the epic, characters face them with no clear indications of what is right and what is wrong; there are no absolute answers. Thus every possible human emotion features in the Mahabharata, the reason the epic continues to hold sway over our imagination. In this superb and widely acclaimed translation of the complete Mahabharata, Bibek Debroy takes on a great journey with incredible ease.

Agriculture may account for only 25 per cent of GDP. But 70 per cent of India's population earns a living from the rural sector. If there is a perception in India that liberalization has been anti-poor and pro-rich, that is largely because the agricultural cum rural sector has been untouched...After the recent (2004) elections, negative expectations about reforms concern privatization and labour market reforms. On the positive side, there are expectations that agro and rural reforms will finally get off the ground, after having been talked about ad nauseam...If these expectations materialize, parts of India that are hitherto bypassed and marginalized in the growth process, will be mainstreamed. If one is looking for a reform agenda for such liberalization, this volume provides it. The agenda set out in these 17 papers is by no means exhaustive. But collectively, one obtains a very good idea of what needs to be done to bring the rural poor into interaction with markets, so that they can tap the opportunities that market-based liberalization throws up.

Economists may pretend otherwise. But Economics is about common sense. India needs economic reforms to push up growth. Growth is needed to eliminate poverty and reduce unemployment. And reforms are needed to eliminate India's present status quo, with its pronounced anti-poor bias. All Indian citizens, present and future need to argue for liberalization, privatization, globalization being a dirty expression. But liberalization is thrust down from top. At least, that's the perception. No books exist to explain the need for reforms. Those that do, are written by specialists and the target audience is also specialists. There are no books addressed to the interested citizen who is not a specialist. This book is not only an exception. It is the first of its kind. It removes the jargon and brings out the common sense in Indian economic policy making. There is no lecturing to the reader. The style is more of a dialogue. Read it and get convinced. Use your convictions to push for change. Don't leave it to North Block and PMO. That's the only way India will change and fulfill the failed and promised tryst with destiny. The time has come redeem the pledge.

This book is an outcome of a study on bankruptcy of small businesses in India...The process of conducting the study brought forth revealing facts on the functionality of small businesses, their problems and possible solutions. Small businesses are treated as those productive activities whose stakeholders cannot access the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR), post-failure. It presents the central idea which is post-bankruptcy problems faced by the entrepreneur. To this work, insights from other published work on small-scale industries (SSIs) have been studied and added to provide the reader with a holistic view about the small-scale entrepreneur and the problem of bankruptcy.