Since its release on January 7, it has been heartening to see the amount of debate and interest generated by the Report of the Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services, chaired by Dr. Nachiket Mor.

The Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low Income Households, set up by the RBI in September 2013, was mandated with the task of framing a clear and detailed vision for financial inclusion and financial deepening in India.

A few months earlier IDFC Foundation had prepared the "India Rural Development Report 2012/13" which provided a wide perspective on the rural landscape covering the Rural dynamics, Livelihoods, Inclusion, Infrastructure, Sustainability and a review of major central government rural programmes and schemes and, in particular, the flagship MGNREGA.

Our picks: 1)Appointment of Dr. Raghuram Rajan - In September Dr. Rajan took over as the 23rd governor of the Reserve Bank of India. If his opening speech is any indicator, his appointment could be one of the most important milestones for the Indian financial system.

Social Security is widely seen as a fundamental building block of a just and equitable society. While ideas of welfare, pension and charity have been with us since the times of the earliest civilizations, the modern concept of social security can arguably trace its origins to the aftermath of the industrial revolution.

This post is a follow-up to our earlier post where we had invited public comments on Comprehensive Financial Services. In this post we seek your thoughts on the theme of Consumer Protection.

The twin calamities A few weeks ago, Bindu and I visited Dhanei KGFS that serves the districts of Ganjam and Khurda through a network of thirty branches.

This post is a continuation of our earlier post where we had introduced the environment for AHFCs and HFCs in India.

In India, however, it has been applied to the sale of derivatives by banks to corporate customers.

Over the ages, shelter has remained as one of the most basic and important needs of human beings. People’s housing needs have increased manifold in recent times as the population grows, the middle class expands and younger generations choose to move into nuclear family units, or move near the increasingly popular regional work hubs.