Articles by A P Saxena

Privatisation: Option and Challenges edited by S R Mohnot; CIER, New Delhi; pp VIII + 418, Rs 240.
OF late, privatisation has become a buzz word signifying a panacea for many economic problems, in particular relating to public enterprises. The expert prescriptions flowing in from the north press for taking the road to privatisation since economic redemption is only possible through glorification of the market, even though it may prove woefully inadequate for a society where large masses have to be brought to an acceptable standard of living. The protagonists of privatisation seek to discredit planning and state owner- ship altogether when this is not only unwarranted but harmful especially to the developing countries to whom development through private initiative based on market forces offers no solution to their specific problems. The present volume incorporates the papers representing the deliberations of a conference organised by the Centre for Industrial and Economic Research (CIER) in New Delhi in March 1991 in technical cooperation with the Inter-Regional Network on Privatisation, UNDP. The papers have focused on privatisation in the context of comparative advantage of the public and private enterprise models. The results of the workshop were sought in the Indian context even though references have been made to the international experiences The key concerns of the workshop were the issues involved in the choice of different enterprise models with special reference to socioeconomic goals, organisational situations and operational mechanisms.

Selected Aspects for Administrative Follow-up A P Saxena This paper discusses some aspects of a concurrent evaluation of the Integrated Rural Development Programme carried out by the Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture. Only those aspects with an administrative focus and content have been chosen for discussion. These are selection of beneficiaries, delays in providing actual assistance, linkages with other programmes, after care support and training of beneficiaries. The existing structure and processes cannot perform their role of helping the poor and the resulting procedures are in need of reform.

A P Saxena Efforts for development of senior administrators have been either inadequate or ad hoc, lacking appreciation of key concerns including issues of need, objectives and content. In the meantime, the number of senior administrators in most developing countries needing intervention inputs for development has been steadily increasing with the growth in the pace of planned economic development.

A P Saxena This paper seeks to examine the changing role of the trainer in the specific context of changes in the training process where the trainer has an altogether different need of learning strategies. Consequently, the trainer has to prepare for a role which demands a sharp change in his initial as well as later training. These changes can also facilitate the training-learning process, as well as promote participation in the planning, development and decision-making process affecting training institutions.

Management of inventories per se in an environment such as exists today is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve in most enterprises.
The range of objectives implied in the overall management of inventories, therefore, needs to be compressed and relative priorities need to be assigned to the different specific objectives. To be effective at any point of time management of inventories should not be more than two to four objectives.