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An Alternative Approach to Capital Productivity and Resource Allocation on Indian Railways, Academic Foundation, 1996

Summary:

  • An Alternative Approach to Capital Productivity and Resource Allocation on Indian Railways, Academic Foundation, 1996

Full Article:

I have published  three books on Railway finance.
 
  • An Alternative Approach to Capital Productivity and Resource Allocation on Indian Railways, Academic Foundation, 1996
 
         This book points to inherent deficiency in the existing process of investment decision making             and resource allocation process - which is basically a micro approach. It does not provide for             assessment of total impact of total investments in a zonal railway over a period of time. This            leads to mis-allocation of resources from productivity maximisation point of view. Even if such          an exercise is attempted, the result is likely to be erroneous as the existing macro analysis tool          viz. capital output ratio itself is not applicable to IR. The reasons are explained. Two new                   concepts of measuring capital  productivity are  then  developed. After establishing the                      theoretical soundness of these  concepts, the capital productivity of zonal railways over a                    twenty year period of time, for various time slices is analysed. Some discernible conclusions             emerge based on which some macro criteria is suggested to be used in tandem with  the micro         criteria for allocation of budgetary resource.
 
  • Readings in Indian Railway Finance, Academic Foundation, 1998
 
          This is a collection of papers on Railway finance or related topics written by ex CRBs, FCs,                    transport economics and by me written specifically for this book or published earlier.                         These  have been compiled and edited by me. The range of coverage is quite wide. Most of                 the papers either deal with controversial issues or advance some new ideas. 
 
  • Indian Railways : Strategy for Reforms, Cambridge University Press, October, 2014.
 
         This book first introduces the reader to basic facts about Indian Railways and its physical as                well as financial performance over a period of time. This is followed by a survey of reforms               carried out in Japan,  Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia and China and lessons to be            learnt from them. It is then  contended that IR must now be looked at from a totally different            angle. It should be looked at as a  commercial enterprise rather than as a ' commercial cum                public  utility service' as at present. Finally the ways   and means to do so are proposed. Most of      the suggestions are  non-conventional, hence likely to  be controversial.
 
I am not sure how many IRAS officers are aware of these books.  Could you pl consider putting them up in IRAS site in suitable format. 
 
I would like to suggest that since the last mentioned book is very topical you may like to put it in the streamer.  All the three books are available on flipkart.
 
The first two books are in Rly Board library. I do not know whether they have procured the last one also.   
 
 Regards,
 
K.B.Verma
 
THE BOOKS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ON FLIPKART.COM

Published on 27 January 2015

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Ms Roopa Srinivasan
Member Finance