Reforming the Indian Public Sector Banks: The Lessons and the Challenges

As a part of the larger economic reforms launched in India from 1991 and continuing today, the banks in the public sector (PSBs) have been subjected to continuous reforms spread over 25 years. The present book studies the whole gamut of reforms in relation to the PSBs. It documents the circumstances that triggered the reforms in 1991, the kind and the range of reforms introduced at different intervals till March 2017. The book critically examines the impact of the reforms with relevant data and authoritative references from both official and non-governmental sources. Have the reforms helped PSBs to become healthier? What are the lessons learnt or not learnt? What are the challenges in the days to come and what needs to be done? These are the issues the book attempts to address. It is a very useful reference book for academicians, practitioners and policy-makers connected with the financial sector.

Contents: Foreward. Preface. I. Towards reforms (The pre-1991 years): 1. Banking in India in the Early Years of Independence. 2. Banks after Nationalisation Till 1991. 3. Weaknesses of Public Sector Banks in 1991. II. The first 12 years of reforms (1992-2004): 4. The Early Years of Reforms. 5. Impact of Reforms: The Positive Side. 6. The Contrarian View. 7. The Vulnerability of Banks and the Scams. 8. The Banks that Forfeited the Trust. 9. The Case of three ‘Weak Banks’. 10. How did Banks become Fragile?. III. Further reforms (2004-2014): 11. 2004 and Beyond . 12. Sustaining the Momentum. 13. The Renewed Emphasis on Social Banking. 14. The Global Financial Crisis of 2007-08 and its Impact on Indian Banking. 15. Performance between 2004 and 2010. IV. Towards the turmoil (2014-17): 16. Beyond 2010-emphasis on Efficiency. 17. A Precipitous Fall-2015-16. 18. The Crisis of 2014-16: Internal Factors. 19. The Fresh Round of Reforms- 2015-17. V. The way forward: 20. Merger of PSBs, How Feasible is the Option?. 21. Is Privatisation an Option?. 22. Facing the Future Challenges-the Way Forward. The Epilogue. Postscript. Select Bibliography of Books and Articles Referred to in the Text. Index.