I am what I am because the elders of my generation exhorted, pampered, and showered their affection upon me with a generosity the current generation cannot even dream of. My indebtedness to all of them is immense and irredeemable. Although they were ever busy, they provide ample evidence to support the adage “Busy persons have time for everyone and for all matters.” In writing a book, one draws upon the contributions of so many scholars. All efforts have been made to acknowledge the contributions of the authors the book has drawn upon, with detailed textual references given in the endnotes and the bibliography. I gratefully acknowledge the debt I owe to all such authors whose theories and views have provided me with ample wisdom and enlightenment. None of them are, however, responsible for the views that are expressed in the book and the errors that it might contain. I alone am responsible for errors and omissions, if any.
A special word of appreciation is due to my old friend D.P.S. Verma (retired professor of commerce, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi), who helped me in improving the presentation of my work and bringing it to its present format. Several friends, colleagues, and students had prompted me from time to time to write on the Indian economy. Several others have helped me in the actual writing of it. Foremost among them have been Dr. G.K. Arora (principal, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, University of Delhi); Dr. Rabi Narayan Kar (principal, Shyam Lal College, University of Delhi); Dr. Sunil Ashra (professor of economics, Management Development Institute [MDI], Gurugram), Dr. S.S. Khanka (professor of management, Delhi Technological University, Delhi); Dr. Hukam Chand Jain (retired associate professor, Hansraj College, University of Delhi), Mr. Dhritman Gupta, Ph.D. Scholar at Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Delhi chapter, Ms. Prachi Singh (consultant, NITI Aayog, Delhi), and Dr. Asmi Raza (associate professor, Zakir Husain College, University of Delhi) for their support.
The writing of any book causes a certain amount of domestic upheaval. My family rode out the occasional pockets of turbulence with admirable fortitude. As always, my younger brother Mr. Prithwi Raj Singh of Satyawati College, University of Delhi provided his unstinted cooperation and support. In the development of this book, right from the very beginning, Mr. Manish Kumar Sharma has been a great source of strength in providing all the necessary secretarial assistance, and I express my special thanks to him. There is always scope for improvement, and I welcome comments, corrections, and suggestions from readers, which will be gratefully acknowledged and incorporated in the next edition. I eagerly look forward to receiving feedback at [email protected], for which I would be deeply grateful.
Shrawan Kumar Singh,
New Delhi (India)
September 30, 2019