MICROFINANCE IN INDIA : ISSUES, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS(A CRITICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE) BY S L SHETTY (HARDCOVER)

The study is an epitome of the mind-boggling flurry of literature on the subject of microfinance. But, it has gone far beyond the review of literature on the concept, country models and history of microfinance movement in India; it has provided a thematic work on the factual profiles of different microcredit programmes prevalent in the country and their progress, The book contains a very up-to-date review of the regulatory measures and their nuances and a detailed review of the evaluation and impact studies. The book also dwells on the limitations of the mFI movement to satisfy the credit needs of the vast informal sector enterprises which also seem to get generally neglected by the formal financial institutions. This has led the study to a review of the new initiatives which the authorities have taken under the broad theme of `financial inclusion.’ Keeping the broader objective of distributional goals embedded in the microfinance movement, the book attempts an assessment of the wider challenges faced by the financial system, and provides a dossier of suggestions for reaching out to the small and informal sectors on a more effective scale. As for the mFI movement itself, apart from bringing out it potentialities and also critiquing it, the study presents a set of suggestions for strengthening and expanding its role.