Manohar Publishers and Distributors

20 August, 2012

Indian Moneylenders at Work: Case Studies of the Traditional Rural Credit Market in Dhanbad District, Bihar

By- Hans-Dieter Roth

In spite of the relatively extenstive network of government supported credit institutions private moneylenders continue to dominate the agriculture credit market scene. In 1951-52 nearly 70 per cent of all agriculture loans were given by traditional moneylenders. In 1961-62 though the share of cooperative agricultural credit had increased from 7.3 to 13.8 per cent private moneylenders still enjoyed the lion’s share of the agricultural credit with a substantial 46.6 per cent of all farming loans which meant continuance of the traditional dependence on the private moneylenders with his unscrupulous business practices.

The book based on a detailed study of selected villages in Dhanbad district in Bihar enquires into traditional moneylenders and the resulting debt relations between them and the debtor-farmers. The debt relations may be either pure loan obligations or even personal dependency relationships as well as a combination of both forms.

The author finds that the traditional credit market is dominated by large scale farmers-cum-moneylenders who also occupy high positions in rural administrative bodies. The exorbitant interest rates usually charged by them not only create debt obligations but also help establish dependency relations of a long-term nature. A description of actual form of debt relations is presented with samples of interest siphoning mechanism practised by moneylenders. The final part discusses the various traditional forms of transfer of property rights, which frequently are the inevitable outcome of previous debt commitments, and their detrimental socio-economic effects on small farmers.

Part of the author’s doctoral thesis, the book should be of great interest to scholars in the field of agricultural credit and other related areas.

Hans- Dieter Roth was member of the Dhanbad Research Project of the South Asia Interdisciplinary Regional Research Programme. He did his doctorate in agricultural economics from the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University. As Commissioner for Industrial Locations of Baden-Württemberg International, Dr. Roth is taking care of the promotion of the State of Baden-Württemberg as ideal location for investors from Asian countries, including India.

ISBN 81-7304-730-8 2007 128p. Rs.200/ pounds 18.99

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Indian Judiciary and Politics: The Changing Landscape

By- B.D. Dua, M.P. Singh and Rekha Saxena (eds)

Few will deny that the post-emergency higher judiciary in India has earned widespread public acclaim for its innovative and creative jurisprudence notwithstanding the argument advanced by some critics that it has exercised excessive jurisdiction, transgressing at times the executive and legislative domains, contrary to the original ‘checks and balances’ design of the Constitution. While the issue of judicial restraint in the context of constitutional separation of powers deserves serious attention, the fact of the matter is that juristocracy invariably triumphs when the elected representatives in a democracy cannot be trusted to provide good and lawful governance. From this perspective, the unprecedented judicialization of politics and the growth of judicial activism in India seems to be an organic response to pressures within the political system itself.

The contributors to the volume are well-known scholars, lawyers, and academics. They reflect on the itinerary of higher judiciary and its contributions to constitutional law and public good contextualized for the developmental path of the political system since the commencement of the Republic in 1950. The papers cover a variety of topics—judicial activism, judiciary and ecology, secularism, parliamentary institutions, central executive, new economy, and judicial reforms—that focus primarily, though not exclusively, on the ramifications of judicial activism for Indian politics.

B.D. Dua is Dean (Emeritus), Faculty of Arts and Science, and Professor (Emeritus), Department of Political Science, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, Currently, he holds Adjunct Professorship at the University of Lethbridge.

M.P. Singh is Professor of Political Science at the University of Delhi and specializes in Indian and Canadian politics, and the philosophy of science.

Rekha Saxena is Reader at the Centre for Federal Studies, Hamdard Universty, New Delhi.

ISBN 81-7304-723-5 2008 490p. Rs.1195/ pounds 55

Indian Diaspora in West Asia: A Reader

By- Prakash C. Jain

Modern Indian Diaspora in West Asia has a long and checkered history dating back to at least the sixteenth century. A number of small communities of Indian traders called baniyans
existed in present-day Iraq, Iran, Oman, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. When the region came under British influence in the nineteenth
century. Indian merchant communities flourished in a number of towns of the Gulf
countries. The Indians served as bankers, importers and exporters, customs farmers, agents for local merchants, government contractors, pearl-financiers, etc. and as such their contribution to the overall development of the Gulf countries has been significant.

The emergence of Gulf countries as oil-producing and exporting economies and the consequent demand for labour changed the size and complexion of the Indian and other expatriate communiteis in the region.

The significance of the Gulf-based Indian Diaspora is better understood by the quantum of remittances sent by the workers to their relations and dependents in India which is currently estimated at about ten billion US dollars.

Outside the Gulf region Israel is the only country in West Asia that hosts a sizeable Indian community. The Jewish community of Indian origin is estimated at around 60,000—all
Israeli citizens.

The book is perhaps the first ever attempt of its kind on the subject and will certainly fill a major gap in our understanding of the Indian Diaspora in West Asia in general and that of the Gulf region in particular.

ISBN 81-7304-727-8 2007 340p. Rs.850/ pounds 50

India’s North-Eastern Region: Insurgency, Economic Development and Linkages with South-East Asia

By- Nishchal N. Pandey

The seven north-eastern states of India during the last six decades of isolation have braved enormous difficulties. Beginning with the impact of partition, liberation of Bangladesh, influx of people from outside and continuing conflicts based on caste, tribe, language, race and religion, there is also a flip-side to the bad governanace and economic woes of the people of this region. Their geographical and cultural promixity with the South-East Asian countries make the area to be of enormous economic importance in the future.

This book argues how the region’s trade with various neighbouring countries if facilitated and encouraged, and if efforts are made for greater convenience in international trade through the simplification of economic activities such as movement of goods, people and services across borders, the region can blossom to its full potential. But for this, the Centre has first to realize the urgent need to ‘open-up’ than to ‘lock up’ the area in order to provide ‘security’ to the people. One of the first studies of its kind, this volume highlights in detail the north-east’s central position vis-à-vis Bangladesh, Myanmar, and the rest of South-East Asia.

Nishchal N. Pandey is a well-known academic and strategic analyst of Nepal. He was previously Executive Director of the Institute of Foregin Affairs (IFA), Kathmandu. After 8 years at the IFA, he was Visiting Reserach Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at the National University of Singapore. Currently he is a Consultant and an Honorary Fellow at the ISAS where he completed the present volume. Author of several books, he contributes regularly to news magazines and journals. He can be contracted at nina@ntc.net.np.

ISBN 81-7304-777-4 2008 118p. Rs.225/ pounds 18.99

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India’s Development: Social and Economic Disparities

By- S. Mahendra Dev and K.S. Babu (eds.)

India celebrated sixty years of independence on 15 August 2007. There have been several acheivements and failures in economics and social development during this period.

There remain concerns regarding the agriculture sector, poverty reduction, employment
generation, social sector development, reduction in regional disparities and protection of the environment.

This volume comprising six section tries to address these issues.

The study begins with the theme Revisiting the State: New Forms of Governance. The paper under this theme has tried to bring out what groups are excluded or included in the urban goverance of ‘negotiated spaces’. Next them is on Public-privae Parternships in Basic Service Delivery: Impacts on the Poor. In the light of state’s withdrawal from various public enterprises, the public partnership has occupied an important position and some of these public-private partnerships are discussed under the theme. India’s current impressive economic growth is largely from the service sector and the inequalities in accessing these new employment opportunities are discussed under the theme. Access to Public and Corporate Sector Employment: Rural and Urban Dynamics. Under the next theme Uneven Economic Growth and Environmental Implications, the impact of uneven growth on environment and other natural resources are discussed. Though enough democratic space is created for Women participation, the research papers clearly show that their actual effective participation is negligible. These gender issues are discussed under the theme Gender and Generation as Divisions in India’s Development. In the end the issues of conflicts arising out of displacements since 1950s and particularly the recent SEZs under theme Displacement, Conflict and Crises: The Flipside of Globalisation are discussed.

S. Mahendra Dev is currently Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices,
Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. He has been a consultant and adisor to many international organisations like the UNDP, UNICEF, World Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute and ESCAP. He has been a member of several government Committees including Prime Minister’s Task Force on Employment. He is also a member of the Committee on Financial Inclusion charied by Dr. C. Rangaranjan.

K.S. Babu is a Faculty Member at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) in Hyderabad. He was the project director of the study ‘Yanadi Development Plan’ submitted
to Government of Andhra Pradesh. His current research focuses on NGOs and rural
development.

ISBN 978-81-7304-789-3 2008 408p. Rs.995/ pounds 60

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Crisis of State and Nation: South Asian States Between National Building and Fragmentation

By- John P. Neelsen and Dipak Malik (eds)

The widespread notion and pursuit of a post-independence development strategy in South Asia centred around the state, and essentially following the model of the industrialized
countries, has obviously come to end. Similarly, the belief that economic growth together with a socially biased interventionist government would cement national cohesion, contribute to nation-building and, by the same token, strengthen democratic institutions, has been belied. Social inequality has everywhere been aggravated, as has social conflict. While a general process of political mobilization has set in, not least traditionally rather marginalized groups have become empowered. At the same time, the signs of crises multiply as exemplified in the Maoist movement in Nepal, the civil war in Sri Lanka, the struggle for self-determination in Northeastern India, or the corruption, violence and alienation in government and politics. While they manifest themselves first of all in the political sphere concerning the representativity and functioning of democracy, and not least the roll of political parties, they may go deeper indicating a systemic crisis touching upon the foundations of the socio-political order itself, as most evident in the case of Pakistan. Far from offering solutions, neoliberalism and Western-style democracy appear to be rather part of the problem. As a result, concepts of a modified Nehruvian state or Gandhian visions have gained hew currency.

With crisis of nation and state as principal common focus, the present volume unites thematic regional overviews with case studies on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Nepal. The thirteen contributions by specialists on South Asia from Europe, and Australia, Japan and the region itself approach the common topic from the specific angle of their discipline, namely political science, sociology, ethnology, history and economics. This pluridisci-plinarity combined with case studies opens up new insights as well as new perspectives for further research.

John P. Neelsen, Professor of Sociology, Tübingen University, Germany. His major publications deal with South Asia, esp. India and Sri Lanka, class formation, and political economy, international relations and Human Rights.

He serves on the scientific board of the World Centre for Peace, Freedom and Human Rights, Verdun, France, of the RosaLuxemburg Foundation, Berlin, Germany, of ATTAC/Germany, and of the International Research Foundation for Development, Mass., USA, which he regularly represents at the UN, Geneva.

Dipak Malik, Professor, Department of Commerce, Banaras Hindu University, and Director, Gandhian Institute of Studies, Varanasi.

ISBN 81-7304-731-6 2007 432p. Rs.995/ pounds 50

Historical Diversities: Society, Politics and Culture

(Essays for Professor V.N. Datta)

By- K.L. Tuteja, Sunita Pathania (eds)

This volume is in honour of distinguished historian Professor V.N. Datta. The essays contributed by some of the most eminent historians which cut across boundaries of time and space highlight the diversified and multidimensional nature of historical studies, encompassing some of the most fascinating themes in history from ancient to contemporary times.

The book covers broad themes like land relations; regional identity; gender relations;
composite culture; internal migration; colonial notions of power; environment; science;
nationalist discourse; ethnicity and politics of Dalit identity. In addition, two essays conceptualizing and illuminating modernity in Europe and Asian identity form part of this volume. The collection makes an important contribution to the field of social, political and cultural history.

K.L. Tuteja is Director, Academic Staff College, and former Professor of History, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra.

Sunita Pathania is former Professor of History, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra.

ISBN 978-81-7304-792-3 2008 468p. Rs.1195/ pounds 65

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