This book is all about the economic empowerment of the common man. More than 80% of the people are under sheer darkness and away from real development. When we talk and see of development, it is less than 20 % of the country. Historically and systematically large sections of the people were kept under darkness. And the trend hasn’t seen light for quite some time despite all the efforts from many eminent persons from different walks of life. Perhaps, they all used only their minds and lacked in their heart while trying to find solutions. The author in this book has attempted afresh some steps with a bottom up approach to achieve real development of all, especially the left-out 80%; and achieve comprehensive economic development across every nook and corner of the country. This book talks about Unique Natural Endowment Theory, Graded Self-sufficient Model of Regional Economic Development; and analysed the structural needs in each sector of the economy so as to address the persistent on the ground problems. At present, entrepreneurial knowledge is at a low level among the larger mass; and challenges to micro entrepreneurship are high. The book also talks about entrepreneurial spirit and processes for the common man. This book discovers ways to reach new heights of growth and development in New India. This book has dreams for every common man and tries to find ways to materialise the individual dreams of the billion plus people of India. That's why this book is - One Vision for a Billion Dreams.

Ensuring women's economic empowerment and access to and control over resources requires an integrated approach to growth and development, focused on gender-responsive employment promotion and informed by the interdependency between economic and social development. Social objectives need to be incorporated into economic policies. Economic growth strategies should give attention to the real economy and focus on creating a gender-sensitive macroeconomic environment, full employment and decent work, access to land, property and other productive resources as well as financial services, and full coverage of social protection measures. The Survey outlines a number of concrete recommendations in these critical areas, which if adopted, will facilitate women's equitable access to and control over economic and financial resources.

Microfinance India: State of the Sector Report 2011 presents the growth of the microfinance sector in India in its entirety. It offers in-depth, well-researched and thoroughly analyzed evidence on how the sector has made an impact at various levels of the economy and society. The report collects information from authoritative sources, studies and reports on the sector and field studies on specific developments of interests. It also brings perspectives from key policy makers through exclusive interviews. Highlighting on more topical themes, this year's report begins with an overview of the microfinance sector, which faced significant problems during 2010–11. It then evaluates the performances of the SHG and MFI models and discusses thematic issues such as social performance management and financial inclusion in detail.

Contributed papers presented earlier in a conference.

Despite India’s record of rapid economic growth and poverty reduction over recent decades, rising inequality in the country has been a subject of concern among policy makers, academics, and activists alike. Poverty and Social Exclusion in India focuses on social exclusion, which has its roots in India’s historical divisions along lines of caste, tribe, and the excluded sex, that is, women. These inequalities are more structural in nature and have kept entire groups trapped, unable to take advantage of opportunities that economic growth offers. Culturally rooted systems perpetuate inequality, and, rather than a culture of poverty that afflicts disadvantaged groups, it is, in fact, these inequality traps that prevent these groups from breaking out. Combining rigorous quantitative research with a discussion of these underlying processes, this book finds that exclusion can be explained by inequality in opportunities, inequality in access to markets, and inequality in voice and agency. This report will be of interest to policy makers, development practitioners, social scientists, and academics working to foster equality in India.

This book discusses ideas for stakeholders to develop strategies to access and use financial products and services such as deposits, loans, and fund transfer mechanism, insurance, payment services, and intermediaries, distribution channels at economical prices in order to cater to the needs of the poor and underprivileged people. Financial inclusion ensures ease of access, availability, and usage of the financial products and services to all the sections of the society. The book will help in recognizing the role of financial inclusion as one of the main drivers in reducing income inequality and thus supporting sustainable economic growth of the countries, especially of an emerging economy. The book provides conceptual and practical ideas from the practitioners, best practices from the experts, and empirical views from the researchers on the best practices and how to mitigate the challenges and issues plaguing the development of the financial inclusion.