This year's top-selling book on flipkart is not a NYT best-seller of fiction and non-fiction. Its the most unreadable and eminently erudite book written by a D.Lit professor. Yes, I am talking about Oxford University Press's "Indian Economic Survey 2011-2012." edited and written by Dr.Kaushik Basu, the famed economist and PMO's trusted lieutenant who waxes eloquent on various data points of the Indian Economy, invented a game called Dudoku (like Sudoku, with 2*2 matrix), written and edited more than 30 odd books on Economics and its multiple constituents.
This is the last Economic Survey, as the preface states penned by Dr Kaushik Basu and the book is a raging hit on the online book stores. Priced at Rs.450/- it has the last word on the macroeconomical foundations of Indian Economy from Banking to Forex Markets, from Agriculture to Education, from Balance of Payments to Direct Taxes, and gives you a fascinating peep into the Indian Economy. I would say, reading the ES is like doing a diploma in Indian Economics. Its that profund and intense. I wish this becomes compulsory reading for everybody who uses statistics on Indian economy at the drop of a hat- from journalists, editorial writers, bureaucrats, bankers and politicians. We don't know who will replace Kaushik Basu who has been writing the story post-liberalisation reforms for several decades last. But this swan song is worthy of your time and rewards you with counter-intuitive datapoints that may help you win a debate or score a point or two.
Another good addition to give a panoramic view of statistics on India on everything from economic issues to socio-demographic issues, from which industries allow automatic approval for FDI investments, how many times was the Constitution amended, which state in India sends the maximum emigration workers (Okay, Kerala but how many?) and how much increase happened to the Chief Justice of India since, say 2005? Questions like these sound like objective questions from Competition Success Review or a Civils Prelims exam but the codification of data in 1400 pages over 32 chapters is quite a task which requires attention to detail, cogency of information and authenticity - something that Publications Division is believed for. In a way, the first book above complements this second book. Both the books are to be kept at arm's length - and may help you whether or not you are an Economics forecaster, politician, journalist, investment professional or a Member of Parliament. These two are the fast-track routes to gaining economical proficiency.
This is the last Economic Survey, as the preface states penned by Dr Kaushik Basu and the book is a raging hit on the online book stores. Priced at Rs.450/- it has the last word on the macroeconomical foundations of Indian Economy from Banking to Forex Markets, from Agriculture to Education, from Balance of Payments to Direct Taxes, and gives you a fascinating peep into the Indian Economy. I would say, reading the ES is like doing a diploma in Indian Economics. Its that profund and intense. I wish this becomes compulsory reading for everybody who uses statistics on Indian economy at the drop of a hat- from journalists, editorial writers, bureaucrats, bankers and politicians. We don't know who will replace Kaushik Basu who has been writing the story post-liberalisation reforms for several decades last. But this swan song is worthy of your time and rewards you with counter-intuitive datapoints that may help you win a debate or score a point or two.
Another good addition to give a panoramic view of statistics on India on everything from economic issues to socio-demographic issues, from which industries allow automatic approval for FDI investments, how many times was the Constitution amended, which state in India sends the maximum emigration workers (Okay, Kerala but how many?) and how much increase happened to the Chief Justice of India since, say 2005? Questions like these sound like objective questions from Competition Success Review or a Civils Prelims exam but the codification of data in 1400 pages over 32 chapters is quite a task which requires attention to detail, cogency of information and authenticity - something that Publications Division is believed for. In a way, the first book above complements this second book. Both the books are to be kept at arm's length - and may help you whether or not you are an Economics forecaster, politician, journalist, investment professional or a Member of Parliament. These two are the fast-track routes to gaining economical proficiency.
