Public sector has long been an integral part of the state and government. Immediately after India attained Independence in 1947, our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid great emphasis on the public sector which he felt, apart from triggering industrial growth, would also provide employment opportunities. This was perhaps a correct approach at that time for an emerging nation like India, which was bracing itself up for industrialization without a developed private sector. At a later stage, particularly since the early 1990s, we have come to introduce pro-market reforms, marking a paradigm shift in our attitude toward state enterprises, their need, efficacy and management. While Sections I to III of the present volume contain selected readings on public enterprises (also called state enterprises) covering three phases: of emphasis on state enterprises after independence; of the period when the role of state enterprises started getting questioned; and the post-liberalization era with its totally different focus, and how efficiency can be ensured amongst PSUs, Section IV contains selected papers on various aspects of administration of industrial development over the years. Hopefully, the book will inform and illuminate the reader on a number of issues related to PSU Management and to the administration of industrial development, such as the nature of the debate regarding state enterprises, the changing contours of public policy and the ideas that have shaped and influenced political and economic approaches in these spheres from independence to the present day.
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