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• During 1993–2018, market services grew at a faster rate than non-market services. • Applying Domar weights we observed that transport and storage was the highest contributor among market services industries, while public administration has made relatively higher contribution to aggregate non-market services TFP growth. • TFP growth in manufacturing has a significant positive effect on TFP growth of both market services and non-market services. • Market services TFP growth is positively impacted by a spillover effect of TFP growth in India's trade partners. The services have been the driver of India's overall growth since the onset of economic reforms in the 1990s. The value-added share of services increased from 41 percent in 1990 to 53 percent in 2018. On average, the sector grew at 7.5 percent annually during 1993–2018, contributing to about half of the aggregate economic growth. Using the India KLEMS data, we examine the trends in total factor productivity (TFP) in individual industries within services and their contribution to aggregate TFP growth in the sector during 1993–2018. We find that transport and storage was the highest contributor among various market services industries followed by financial services, while public administration made a relatively high contribution to aggregate non-market services TFP growth. Moreover, we investigate the factors driving TFP growth in the services sector, particularly the role of manufacturing TFP – looking into spillover effect from manufacturing to market services and non-market services. Our results suggest that TFP growth in manufacturing had a significant positive impact on TFP growth in the services sector. Also, we find evidence of significant productivity spillover effect to India's services sector from other countries, particularly the developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates income convergence of Indian states in the post-reform period when markets played a greater role in resource allocation. We analyze stochastic convergence of relative per capita incomes of 19 states for the period 1994–2018 by employing a recently developed panel data approach controlling for structural breaks as smooth shifts. Smooth shifts are modelled using a more flexible Fourier approach that does not require identifying the number, date, and form of breaks. The empirical results, contrary to recent empirical findings, do not support evidence in favour of convergence in per capita income among Indian states. Poor infrastructure, lack of adequate financial development, and weak governance structure coupled with low total factor productivity growth seem to be responsible for the divergence of income. The findings suggest that development intervention in the post-reform period has neither been of the required order nor in the desired direction to help the lagging states to catch up with the leading ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water and energy crisis, rising temperature and subsequent changes in climate result in calamitous loss of wheat productivity due to adverse effect on plant growth and development. Plateauing yield trends and declining total factor productivity compel for alternative water and energy-efficient conservation practices supporting sustainable wheat productivity in humid tropics. Present investigation tested the hypothesis stating that the alternate wheat establishment methods and inter-culture practices would economize energy and water requirement with enhanced productivity. Different wheat establishment methods viz., conventional tillage, reduced tillage, zero tillage and raised bed landforms of 40/20 and 60/20 cm and two inter-culture practices, i.e. conoweeding and alternate ridging on spring wheat were evaluated for two years at Pantnagar in Uttarakhand, India. Zero and reduced tillage depicted better economic viability with benefit cost ratio of 2.86 and 2.84, respectively, which was statistically at par with conventional tillage. Alternate ridging and raised bed (60/20 cm) recorded 13.3 and 41.7% saving of irrigation water, respectively. Highest energy use efficiency was observed in raised bed 60/20 cm with 22.4% less energy consumption compared to conventional method. Thus, adoption of conservation practices with improved inter-culture operations holds potential for sustainable, water and energy-efficient and profitable wheat productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study focuses on the effect of agro‐based factors and human development indicators on the production of finger millet in eight states of India. Departing from the past studies, we employed the common and dynamic common correlated effects model, and our findings showed that the past year's finger millet production, productivity, area under finger millet production, rainfall and human development indicators positively influenced the finger millet production among the eight Indian states. The variable crop diversification has no impact on the production of finger millet. Overall result indicates the prominent role of human development assisting in the promotion of finger millet production. The empirical findings suggest corrective government policies in order to boost the overall production and consumption of finger millet at the macro level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulses, supplemented with cereals, provide a perfect mix of vegetarian protein of high biological value. The productivity of pulses in India is less than half of the productivity levels in the USA and Canada. Present investigation was aimed to Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth in three pulse crops in the state of Rajasthan from 2000-01 to 2017-18. Methods: In the current study, the Tornqvist Theil Index was used to compute the total output index, total input index and total factor productivity index. The Tornqvist Index is exact for the homogenous translog production function that can deliver a second order approximation to an arbitrary twice differentiable homogenous production function. The translog function does not require perfect substitutes for inputs. If the relative price of input increases, the producer decreases its use (substituting other inputs) until all marginal productivities are proportional to the new prices. Result: The results of this study has indicates low TFP in gram (0.98%) despite a 59.23 per cent share in the total pulse output of the state. The annual compound growth rate of TFP of black gram increased at the rate of 1.11 per cent per annum (moderate growth) and the contribution of TFP to output growth was low; at about 41.63. Whereas, the compound growth rate of TFP of annual green gram crop increased at the 2.38 per cent per annum (high growth) while its TFP to output growth was about 66.43 per cent. The real cost of production of gram, black gram and green gram crop increased by 0.77, 1.49 and 1.57 per cent per annum, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine the association between productivity growth and job reallocation in terms of job creation and job destruction. It also finds this productivity employment relationship for heterogeneous labor market institutions of the Indian states. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses longitudinal data of the Annual Survey of Industries of Indian manufacturing from 2009–2010 to 2015–2016 and employs fixed-effect multinomial logistic regression. Findings: The paper finds a mixed result of total factor productivity (TFP) increase on employment. An increase in TFP is positively associated with employment by reducing the probability of destroying jobs, while adversely associated with employment by reducing the probability of creating jobs. The negative association of the increase in TFP on employment is more in the Indian states with strict labor regulations. Research limitations/implications: The relationship between TFP and employment can be endogenous. TFP is calculated as output changes that are not explained by inputs, capital and labor. So, job creation/destruction may affect TFP by changing the composition of employment and/or returns on labor/capital. In addition, this study is only restricted to Indian organized manufacturing. Practical implications: The results from this study help deeply understand the Indian labor market. In particular, it provides valuable insights into the "jobless growth" in Indian manufacturing and the recent changes in labor laws. Social implications: The findings from this study provide useful information to enhance the robust growth of productive jobs and efficient reallocation of labor. Originality/value: Unlike most papers, which analyzed the relationship between productivity growth and net employment changes, the present paper finds the relationship between improvement in productivity and job reallocation in terms of simultaneous creation of new jobs and destruction of existing jobs. In addition, the paper links this relationship with the existing heterogeneous labor laws of the Indian states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: India is the largest producer as well as consumer of pulses in the world due to higher relance of their people on vegetarian sources of proteins, however, we have been dependent on import of pulses for meeting our demand for pulses over several decades. As a strategy to be self-reliant in pulses production two important initiatives were taken by the government of India viz. implementation of Accelerated Pulses Production Program (A3P) and inclusion of pulses in the National Food Security Mission (NFSM-Pulses) during 2010-11. Pigeon pea has tremendous medicinal and pharmacological properties and uses in addition to the good quality source of proteins. Significant improvement observed in production and productivity of pigeon pea after the A3P and NFSM-Pulses was questioned for its Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth. Methods: This study was designed to assess impact of A3P and NFSM-Pulses on TFP of Pigeon pea in major Indian producing states. TFP was estimated with the help of Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) using Data Envelopment Analysis Program (DEAP) version-2.1 in five states of India viz., Gujarat, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra and UP which contribute more than three-fourth pigeon pea production in India. Result: TFP change in period-II (after A3P and NFSM-Pulses) was invariably higher than the TFP change in period-I (before the initiatives) in all the studied states. It indicates that these government initiatives contributed to the enhancement of production and productivity of pigeon pea with the support of better technology adoption rather than just led by higher use of inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Motivation: Empirical studies on income convergence for India indicate that Indian states exhibit divergence in income. The literature, however, has neglected the convergence dynamics of the main sources of output. A pertinent question is whether divergence in income is due to divergence in factor inputs (capital and labour) and/or in total factor productivity (TFP) in India, a low middle‐income country with high dispersion of per capita income across its states. Purpose: This article examines the sources of income divergence in Indian states by analysing convergence in TFP, labour, and capital. Methods and approach: We test for stochastic convergence hypothesis by employing state‐level data for 19 Indian states during the period 2001–2015. Given the small sample dimension of the Indian state‐level income data, we benefit from the recent developments in non‐stationary panel data literature; and conduct novel panel stationarity and unit root tests with a fixed time dimension. We further carry out a robustness analysis to account for cross‐section dependency across the states. Findings: TFP as well as the factor inputs (labour and capital) exhibit divergence, implying persistence in income inequality across Indian states. Divergence in labour across the states reflects the fact that migration is primarily an intra‐district phenomenon. Poor investment climate in low‐income states acts as a barrier for convergence in capital. TFP and capital stock are found to be correlated, and thereby lower investment in poorer states may be responsible for divergence in TFP across the states. Policy implications: Migration in India is primarily an intra‐district phenomenon. There is a need to study the reasons which are discouraging inter‐district and inter‐state migration for better utilization of the labour resource. Government intervention has not been adequate to improve the infrastructure position and encourage capital inflows to low‐income states. Low‐income states should improve their business climate and create support infrastructure to earn the confidence of investors. Increasing investment in low‐income states would help to increase their TFP and catch up with the high‐income states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the distribution of climate change impacts on agricultural Total Factor Productivity (TFP) across districts in India. Combining the district-level TFP, estimated using multiple rounds of nationally representative agricultural surveys, with climate and other controls, the relationship between production efficiency and climate is estimated for two time points: 2002–2003 and 2012–2013. The estimated climate response function suggests that for every 1 °C rise in temperature, agricultural productivity reduces by ∼4.5%. Using estimated climate sensitivity and regionally downscaled climate projections, the study further assesses the impacts on agricultural TFP across districts over the mid-century. By 2050, TFP in agriculture is projected to decline for all the states considered in the study. The latter-period (2012–2013) climate response function projects more adverse impacts compared to the early-period (2002–2003) response function. The results also show increase in the magnitude of impacts over time, indicating that Indian agriculture has become more climate sensitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically examines the difference in productivity existing between the public and private sector of the mining industry in India. The literature on the effect of firm ownership on productive efficiency stands highly divided; hence, in this context, our study adds to the literature by attempting to study the effect of firm ownership on total factor productivity (TFP) in the four sectors of the Indian mining industry from 2000 to 2016. Here, we have sought to compare the productivity difference between the public and private mining firms in the four sectors, namely metallic, non-metallic, coal and petroleum. This paper uses the Levinson and Petrin (LP) method for estimating the TFP of each firm. The results indicate the superiority of private firms in three sectors—metallic, non-metallic, and coal—whereas the petroleum sector reports quite the opposite result. The results raise questions about the stability of the public sector firms over time. Overall, the paper suggests measures like provision of incentives, improvement in infrastructural facilities, upgradation of manpower and so on to improve the productivity performance of public sector firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the backdrop of India's jobless economic growth since the macroeconomic reforms of the 1990's, this study goes into the inter-relations among growth of productivity, employment and trade. Most of the studies on productivity in Indian manufacturing indicate a surge in the post reforms period though the individual manufacturing groups achieve varying growth. In the recent period, TFP growth in the sector is attributed to technology-based intermediate imports. Changing patterns of trade, especially export composition, have contributed to low employment generation. Growth in productivity and lack of growth in employment are thus explained by changing composition of trade. This paper starts by defining alternative measures of labor productivity growth, namely 'industry' labor productivity and 'system' labor productivity drawing on World Input-Output Database (WIOD). KLEMS database for India is also used for employment data. The time period for the study is from 1995 to 2014. Trend growth rates are estimated for alternative productivity measures, employment and output. The growth estimates show rapid productivity growth while the rates vary according to the labor intensity in production. It is found that productivity growth, particularly in labor intensive sectors, has been slow. India's share in world trade has been low and rising slowly. Additionally, the share in world trade of leather and textiles is very small. The composition of trade in India is biased towards the manufacturing sector as a whole while the labor-intensive sectors are neglected. Another emerging pattern of India's trade is escalating import of intermediate inputs. To establish the nexus between trade and productivity growth, a vertical specialization index has been estimated by using Hummel's formulation. The estimated result from panel regression with fixed effects establishes positive nexus between vertical specialization and productivity growth. It is argued that India needs to circumvent jobless growth by a balanced approach to job creation and productivity growth. A conscious policy of vertical specialization in products that draw on the country's vast reserve of un-skilled and semiskilled labor can go a long way in this direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on health strategies that could boost industrial productivity in India amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It mentions about using the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as Coveralls, Goggles and face shields, N95 respirator masks and Gloves. It also mentions that an administrative health officer should be appointed, who will be responsible for the overall supervision and smooth running of the facility.

There has been substantial recent interest in the decline of labour shares across many countries. For the most part, attention has been focused on developed countries. This article examines the evolution of India's labour share in its formal industrial sector from 1983 to 2016. Using two datasets corresponding to sectoral aggregate data and plant‐level data respectively, the authors document a secular decline in the labour share across all sectors from 1983, with a stabilization at very low levels (around 8 to 10 per cent) starting around 2007. The plant‐level data are used to identify correlates that illuminate reasons for the overall decline in the labour share. The authors find strong evidence to support multiple causes, including increased capital intensity, greater informalization, greater privatization, and productivity increases in larger firms; they therefore suggest that the declines in labour share experienced are due to a composite set of factors. Conversely, other potential explanations (such as regional variation in the labour share) have less explanatory power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The goal of this study is to investigate the nexus among TFP (total factor productivity), IT (information technology) capital accumulation, skills and key plant variables of 34 Indian industries for the period of 2009–2015. Design/methodology/approach: Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) data series are extracted and formulated using Microsoft SQL server. The authors employ Wooldridge (2009) technique to estimate productivity. To investigate the linkages among productivity, IT, skills and key plant variables, the authors estimate specifications using system generalized method of moments (sys-GMM). Advanced estimation techniques such as Heckman two-step process, probit equations, inverse Mills ratio and panel cointegration are applied to overcome problems of nonstationarity, omitted variables, endogeneity and reverse causality. Findings: The results indicate that the level of IT capital influences the TFP of Indian industries, so does the level of skilled workers. The outcome suggests that intermediate capital goods, location and ownership type enable the strength of IT capital and that in turn boosts productivity. The authors fail to find any impact of regional factors and contractual labor on IT capital and productivity. While medium-level gender diversity is statistically significant to influence productivity, however, no complementarities exist between gender diversity and IT capital accumulation. The results also indicate that IT demand of Indian industries is sensitive to availability of skilled workforce, fuel and electricity and access to short-term funding. Originality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the nexus among TFP, IT capital accumulation, skills and organizational factors using ASI unit level data. Besides this, the paper offers two more novelties. First, it uses Wooldridge (2009) technique to estimate productivity, which is used by a handful of studies in the context of India. Second, the study identifies factors that impact productivity growth, IT demand and its adoption in Indian industries and thus contributes to growth and development literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Distribution of much of the benefits from productivity gains across sectors through adjustment of relative prices causes value added per unit of output to fall in the progressive and rise in the relatively stagnant sectors. Under such circumstances, if total factor productivity is sought to be measured by taking value added as a proxy for output the result will inevitably be underestimate for the progressive and an overestimate for the relatively stagnant sectors. • Transformation of a low-growth inward looking economy into a substantially liberalized, globalized, high-growth economy had implications for the technical (intermediate input) structure of production as well as adjustment (erosion and buildup) of value added across sectors through changes in relative prices. The study observes that the relative price for the manufacturing sector (vis-a-vis the GDP deflator) declined steadily while that for the service subsector EHPAD (education, health, public administration and defence) increased fast, causing significant adjustment of sectoral value added. • The most interesting finding is the drag on the share of the manufacturing sector caused by adjustment of relative prices; this paring of sectoral share is an important explanation for the stagnation of relative share of manufacturing in GDP of India. • Admitting that the precise measures of sectoral gains or losses are inevitably subject to limitations of quality of data, the very consistent behaviour of the manufacturing and the EHPAD sectors over all the phases of our study lends strong support to the basic hypothesis of Baumol's disease for the Indian economy and throws light on the apparent stagnation of manufacturing's GVA share. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• I examine the distributional dynamics of establishment total factor productivity growth within India's manufacturing sector from 2001–2015. • I estimate separate rates of conditional convergence to the foreign and domestically owned components of the within industry productivity frontier. • I find positive overall convergence, but convergence to the foreign owned component of the within industry frontier is substantially dampened. • These findings imply significant differences in the nature of technology transfer from highly productive domestic and foreign firms. Inward foreign direct investment (FDI) has the potential to be an important conduit for technology transfer to developing countries. However, a large body of empirical research has found that the realized benefit to domestic productivity is minimal. This apparent absence of productivity spillovers from FDI is particularly surprising in light of recent evidence that firms in developing countries exhibit positive productivity convergence, or catch-up, to their industry's productivity frontier. In this paper, I use establishment level panel data from 21 distinct industries within India's manufacturing sector from 2001–2015 to provide new evidence on this issue. I analyze establishment total factor productivity conditional convergence and examine if the presence of foreign owned establishments within each industry's productivity frontier impacts this relationship. While I find statistically and quantitatively significant conditional convergence to the overall frontier, I show that convergence to the foreign owned component of the frontier is markedly slower. I corroborate this finding by exploring the impact of foreign ownership in the frontier on the dynamics of the within industry productivity distribution. This robust result suggests differences in the nature of technology transfer from highly productive domestic and foreign firms. I argue that my general econometric approach helps to reconcile the previously disconnected findings of negligible spillovers from FDI in developing countries with evidence of positive productivity convergence and the substantial presence of foreign firms in the productivity frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the impact of tariff and non-tariff reductions on firm-level gross value of output (GVO) and productivity for various types of Indian manufacturing MSMEs for the 2002–2007 period. We merge the 3rd (2001–2002) and 4th (2006–2007) All India Census data on Indian MSMEs to create a novel dataset that includes micro-enterprises and to calculate input and final goods tariffs, ERPs and NTBs for broad product groups using information from India's export–import policy, 1997–2003 and 2004–2009. After controlling for firm, industry, state and time-specific factors, we find tariff reductions have improved firm-level GVO and productivity for MSMEs which are technologically upgraded and quality certified. Further, the effects of input tariff reduction exceed those from final goods tariff reductions, i.e., the input sourcing channel is stronger than the final product competition channel. Liberalization of non-tariff barriers is found to have a positive effect on both GVO and productivity growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the producer-level temporal dynamics of total factor productivity and operational performance changes in coal- and gas-based generators during the 2000–20013 period of major structural reforms in the downstream utilities in India. The total factor productivity is estimated using a recently developed improvement in the Stochastic Frontier panel method that controls for time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity, and the productivity change is decomposed into components of changes in technology frontier, efficiency, scale and allocation. A unique dataset of station-level data for coal and gas plants, that represents about two-thirds of all power generation in India during this period, is constructed for the analysis. The study shows that while there is improvement in the coal generator productivity at the mean rate of 0.20 % per year that converges towards a point of higher efficiency for most plants, the gas generators show a trend of stagnant efficiency and declining total factor productivity at the mean rate of − 0.80 % per year. Unbundling and multi-dimensional utility reform indices are significantly associated with improvement in thermal efficiency and capacity utilization for coal generators. In contrast, utility reforms shows no significant positive influence on gas generators, instead a decline in capacity utilization is observed following unbundling. • Temporal productivity dynamics of Indian coal and gas fired generators is estimated. • Flexible production function separately estimated for coal and gas generators. • TFP of coal plants improved and gas plants declined with downstream utility reforms. • Increase in thermal efficiency and PLF of coal plants linked to utility reforms. • Fuel shortage partly explain stranded capacity and generator productivity losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the economic and financial performance of the Indian IT services export sector. Specifically, economic performance is measured by total factor productivity (TFP) growth and financial performance is examined in terms of factors explaining accounting and market returns with the aid of seventy-six firm data set over a twelve year period (2004–2016). While thirty years of rapid development in the Indian IT services export sector is well documented, this paper suggests that much of the growth is attributable to replication rather than innovation. Results support the proposition that growth in the real output of Indian IT services sector is predominantly due to growth in real inputs (96%), as TFP accounts for only 4%. In addition, our estimation of Cobb-Douglas production function suggests modest economies of scale in the range of 1.06–1.14. With respect to financial performance, regression results confirm the important role of asset turnover, dividends, and debt in explaining accounting return measured by return on assets (39% adjusted R2). On the other hand, as expected, regression results explain only 10–14% (adjusted R2) of market return, which is total return on stocks including dividends. Statistically significant variables affecting market returns are: exchange rate, asset turnover, payout ratio, and standard deviation of the market return itself. • Rapid development in the Indian IT services export sector is a case of replication rather than innovation. • Total factor productivity (TFP) growth of seventy-six firms over a twelve year period (2004–16) suggests that growth in the real output of Indian IT services sector is predominantly due to growth in real inputs (96%), with TFP accounting for only 4%. • There are modest economies of scale in the range of 1.06–1.14. • Regression results (adjusted R2 39%) confirm the important role of asset turnover, dividends, debt, and size for explaining accounting return (i.e., return on assets) in prior studies. • Market return regression results explain only 10–14% (adjusted R2), which is total return on stocks including dividends. Exchange rate, along with asset turnover, dividend payout, and standard deviation of the return, have a statistically significant effect on market return. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attempt has been made to analyze the literature on Total Factor Productivity analysis in the context of Indian agriculture without going much deeper into its empirical analysis and estimation. Among the vast analytical themes possible on Indian agriculture, this study has focused upon the literature pertaining to the contribution of the non-conventional factors such as skills and technical know-how, fertilizers, High Yielding Varieties, etc. in explaining the shifts in agricultural production which are condensed to compose the concept of total factor productivity. The studies on total factor productivity in the Indian context are neither exhaustive nor limited but there is considerable scope for more detailed investigations into the various dimensions of productivity measurement and policy analysis. It can be noticed throughout the present discussion that there are a good number of thought-provoking issues associated with Total Factor Productivity but evidences are conflicting, sometimes controversial and subjected to further detailed investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to explore the dynamic linkage between energy efficiency and total factor productivity ( TFP) using carbon emission and trade openness as control variables for the period of 1971-2013. For this purpose, vector error correction mechanism ( VECM) is employed to determine the direction of causality. A popular and simple measure of energy efficiency, GDP per unit of energy use and trade as a percentage of GDP are used for the proxy of trade openness. The result shows negative impact of energy efficiency on TFP, in other way energy intensity has a positive impact on the growth of TFP. Hence, the negative sign indicates a trade-off between energy efficiency and TFP. There is a unidirectional causality running from energy efficiency to TFP. Whenever energy intensity increases, the TFP level increases as well. So, in the long run, a higher TFP implies higher energy consumption. Further, TFP and carbon emission Granger cause trade openness, and there is unidirectional causality from TFP to CO2 emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The food grade agar in India has been almost exclusively obtained from Gracilaria edulis , but the industrial production overwhelmingly relies on exploitation of natural resources. United Nations efforts through Food and Agriculture Organization under Bay of Bengal Program highlighted the necessity of undertaking commercial farming of this species along Indian coast for socio-economic benefits. The pilot-scale experiments established viability of large-scale cultivation by floating raft method. Nevertheless, drastic reduction in yield and quality during summer months due to enhanced sedimentation and severe epiphytism is found to be a major hindrance. Altering the positioning of rafts from horizontal to vertical alignment improved the growth and yield under open sea condition at two different locations along south east coast of India. The average yield in horizontal raft was found to be 3.08 ± 0.61 kg fr wt raft −1 with corresponding DGR of 1.87 ± 0.63% day −1 while same in case of vertical rafts was 13.76 ± 3.86 kg fr wt raft −1 and 5.00 ± 0.5% day −1 in Gulf of Mannar under 45 days growth cycle. The corresponding values along Palk Bay were 2.98 ± 0.52 g fr wt raft −1 and 1.38 ± 0.42% day −1 for horizontal raft and 13.02 ± 6.06 kg fr wt raft −1 and 4.14 ± 1.18% day −1 for vertical raft. ANOVA clearly indicated that raft position significantly influenced the biomass yield and DGR at Palk Bay (F = 75.77; F = 112.81) as well as Gulf of Mannar (F = 27.21; F = 59.16) at p = 0.001. The increment of 1.9–2.6% in fresh weight of individual frond was reported in vertically aligned rafts. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based unsteady numerical simulations have confirmed that vertical alignment of raft facilitates relatively free movement of water due to which sedimentation and epiphytism are either minimised or eliminated. Thus these studies can help us to deduce important conclusions pertaining to management of sustained commercial cultivation of this alga in Indian waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the sources of economic growth in Indian economy since the 1980s, with particular focus on the role of information and communication technology (ICT). The impact of ICT on economic growth is analyzed via two main channels. The direct contribution of ICT investment to aggregate economy and manufacturing growth, and the indirect impact of ICT on Total Factor Productivity Growth (TFPG) in ICT using and ICT producing sectors. The results suggest an increasing role of ICT investment in driving aggregate economic growth in India, though largely limited to the service sector. Moreover, the economy has not been successful in spreading the ICT spillover effect across the board, thus limiting the productivity gain from ICT use. Whereas we see an improving productivity growth in ICT using market services and their contribution to aggregate productivity growth, the manufacturing sectors lags quite behind. Indeed, India׳s export oriented ICT sector has helped gain efficiency improvement in its fast growing service economy, while there is still large potential for ICT use in the manufacturing sector. The paper opens further avenues for improving the data on ICT investment, and also stresses the need for more detailed sectoral analysis of the impact of ICT on economic growth, treating computer related and software services separately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural endeavour in India has moved from being a traditional farming practice to a more modern and mechanized enterprise. One of the important prerequisite for raising agricultural production and mitigating supply constraints is enhancing agricultural productivity. Since traditional input resources are limited, an increase in agricultural production has to come from enhancing agricultural productivity. With the onset of Green Revolution in India, the contribution of modern technology towards raising agricultural production has been immense. Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth in agriculture assesses the contribution of knowledge and efficiency towards raising agricultural production. For a comprehensive study of growth of the agriculture sector, TFP analyses should include the allied sectors like livestock, forestry and fishing as well. However, in estimating agricultural TFP growth, it is essential to account for the type of land being used for crop production. An addition of an acre of irrigated land will be much more productive than an addition of rainfed land. Similarly, an acre of rainfed land will yield more crop than an acre of pastureland, which is usually used for grazing purpose for livestock. Access to irrigated land protects farmers from the risks and uncertainties of vagaries of weather. In this study we derive weights for rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland and pastureland based on their relative productivity. Using the traditional Solow index method and accounting for different land type viz. rainfed land, irrigated land and pasture land, we measure TFP growth of the agriculture and allied sector in India from 1981 to 2008. Our results show that agricultural TFP growth in India for this period ranged between 1% during 1981-1990 to about 1.7% during 2000-2008. Growth in TFP was higher during the post reform period than during the pre reform period. We also find that usage in agricultural inputs has declined during the post reform period compared to the pre reform period. Our findings also show that, though contribution of TFP towards output growth was declining during the initial years, it however shows a rising trend towards explaining output growth during the last decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Make in India program aims at building best-in-class manufacturing set up in the country. However, public infrastructure is considered to be one of the biggest obstacles for the growth of manufacturing in the country. In this context, this paper examines the role of infrastructure and information & communication technology (ICT) on total factor productivity (TFP) and technical efficiency (TE) of the Indian manufacturing sector for the period 1994–2010. We use advanced estimation techniques to overcome problems of non-stationarity, omitted variables, endogeneity and reverse causality by applying fully modified OLS, panel cointegration and System GMM. Estimation results suggest that the impact of infrastructure and ICT is rather strong. Importantly, industries, such as Transport Equipment, Textile, Chemicals, Metal & Metal Products, which are more exposed to foreign competition, are found to be more sensitive to infrastructure endowments. In the light of these findings, policy implications are brought out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the spillover effects from foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Indian manufacturing industries under the capital liberalisation period using macro aggregated panel data (1995–2004). In the first step, we estimate the total factor productivity (TFP) of each industry using a Cobb–Douglas-type production function. In the second step, we examine the relationship between the level of TFP and the level of FDI in each industry, where we distinguish FDI spillover effects two types: short run and long run. In addition, we test FDI spillover both as an intra-industry effect and an inter-industry effect, also called backward linkage. Our main findings are that the FDI stock increases the TFP, especially through backward linkage, although the TFP level fell in the short run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian growth process has been marked by the relative absence of structural change and the inability of faster output expansion to shift people out of low-productivity activities into higher value ones. Recent rapid growth has also been based on and resulted in growing inequalities. Private accumulation has relied upon existing social inequalities that create segmented labour markets that keep wages of certain social categories low, and on types of exclusion that allow large-scale displacement and dispossession without adequate compensation. The associated boom has required debt-driven bubbles to provide domestic demand since incomes of the masses have not risen in tandem, but such a strategy is inherently unsustainable. This growth process is now reaching the limits of its viability and is facing constraints posed by economic, social, political and environmental challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the sources of rapid economic growth in India in the 2000s and explanations for the growth slowdown in more recent years. We use the Indian national accounts and the National Sample Survey (NSS) to perform a growth accounting analysis. We disaggregate the total economy into agriculture, industry and services and separately identify the contributions of labor, capital and improvements in productivity. Services account for the largest share of the acceleration in 2000-10. Industry, on the other hand, is the sector most reflective of the recent slowdown. The high growth of the 2000s can be traced to strong capital accumulation, improvements in labor skills and large productivity gains. A slowing in the pace of economic reform and a general deterioration in fiscal and monetary policies appear to be the major factors responsible for the slower pace of growth since 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an update on the mining industry of India. Topics covered include the review of rehabilitation and resettlement policy for acquisition of land for coal mining by Coal India Ltd. (CIL) as ordered by the Union Minister of Power and Coal, the projects taken up by the subsidiary coal companies of CIL aimed at boosting coal production and the target coal production of India by 2016-2017.

Abstract: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been used in a wide range of agricultural and industrial commodities, resulting in vigorous deterioration of environment and human health. A number of studies on the occurrence of POPs confirm their presence in various environmental compartments and human body. In order to deal with this global concern, India has recently prepared the National Implementation Plan (NIP) of the Stockholm Convention. Common beliefs point at India as a hot spot of POP contamination and human exposure; however no systematic analysis was ever performed so far considering all available past data on POP occurrence. This review aims to examine the distribution pattern of POPs in multicompartment environment and human samples, meta-analysis of time trends in exposure levels to environment and humans, and cross country comparison of POP contamination with China. Based on this review, it can be concluded that the Indian environment and human population are highly contaminated by DDTs and HCHs; however scarcity of data on other POPs makes it challenging to assess their nationwide human and environmental exposure. No evidence of a general decline in DDT and HCH residues in the environment and human body come out from the meta-analysis of time trend. While comparing contamination levels between India and China, tendency towards decline in POP contamination is visible in China, unlike India. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Inclusive Growth as the literal meaning of the two words refers to both the pace and the pattern of the economic growth. The Inclusive Growth approach takes a long term perspective as the focus is on productive employment rather than on direct income distribution, as a means of increasing incomes for excluded groups. Inclusive growth is therefore supposed to be inherently sustainable as distinct from income distribution schemes which can in the short run reduce the disparities between the poorest and the rest which may have arisen on account of policies intended to jumpstart the growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cross-country empirical literature on the finance-growth relationship has debated three propositions. These are (i) Financial deepening has a strong impact on the growth process (ii) Measures of financial "activity" rather than the "size" of the sector plays a more significant role in the growth process and (iii) Financial structure (bank-based versus stock market-based) has no impact on the growth process at all. The present study re-examines the validity of these propositions for a developing economy using the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) methodology. In the context of the "size versus activity" debate, we also test whether these two aspects of the financial sector can impact growth rates independently. The results support the strong impact of financial deepening on growth but finds that the other propositions are not as robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview of the lignite mining industry in India. It explains the role of lignite in addressing the energy demand of industries such as cement, textiles and chemicals. It outlines the amount of the total geological reserves of lignite in the country. It discusses the total production of lignite in India.

In the labour surplus Indian economy, growth must ensure high employment. In order to examine how employment has evolved over time with output, this study analyses the trends of employment intensity of growth in India at the aggregate and across broad sectors for the period 1961–2004 and forecasts the same for the future applying the Box-Jenkins ARIMA model. The results indicate that India has been experiencing jobless growth since the 1990s primarily due to the failure of manufacturing and services. The forecasting results reveal possible improvement in employment elasticity of secondary sector, whereas tertiary sector would continue to remain a concern. The dependence on primary sector would continue to rise, leading to its negative labour productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructure development has been gaining importance over the years both from the economic perspective and as an area of sustained growth. Presently, the infrastructure sector in India accounts for 26.7% of India's industrial output and is therefore an effective tool to balance the economy. Over the last four years the infrastructure industry in India recorded a growth rate of almost 8.5%. Now the Indian government has announced further investment in infrastructure in their 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017), with which substantial growth has grown in the planning of tunnels, hydroelectric projects, storage caverns, metro projects and underground projects within the rail, road, sewage and hydropower sectors. To achieve time bound programmes of construction of mega projects in a period of four to five years, modern methods of rapid tunnel driving are being considered as only solution to achieve a high rate of progress. We now have bigger and faster drill machines and excavators. in explosives technology too significant progress has been made towards having safer explosives and accurate initiating systems that have increased overall control over blasting in terms of vibration, fragmentation, throw of basted muckpile and overall blast economics. The developments have been mainly done in automation and precise drilling techniques. These include automation of the drill rigs, improved design of bits, rods, bit inserts, and the bailing systems. Underground blasting in India has traditionally been done with packaged explosives. Though packaged explosives have served the industry for decades, they possess safety hazards, slow charging, manual handling, no product flexibility and partial energy utilization due to decoupling. This had compelled blasting engineers and researchers of the eighties to initiate a thought process in search of a system, which would lead to a paradigm shift in underground blasting technology. In the late eighties a few explosives manufacturers came up with their charging systems for underground. These systems had inherent advantages of pumped emulsion explosives like speed and safety, besides introducing a concept of flexibility of product. Product flexibility leads to greater rate of advance and lower damage at the backs for better roof stability. The electronic detonators specifically designed for tunnelling provide the accuracy and flexibility of electronic timing at a reasonable price with rapid and easy operations at the tunnel face. In this paper, the author discusses about the latest developments which have taken place in explosives, initiating systems and drilling technology for tunnelling at a few tunnelling and cavern excavation sites for enhanced rate of excavation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Railways were integral to the development of the Indian economy before World War I. This article presents new estimates of total factor productivity (TFP) for railways from 1874 to 1912, which highlight the strong performance of this key industrial sector. Railway-industry TFP growth was substantial averaging 2.3 percent per year and generating a 2.7 percent social savings for the Indian economy. A combination of factors contributed to TFP growth including greater capacity utilization, technological change, and improvements in organization and governance. Railways had higher TFP growth than most sectors in India and compared favorably with TFP growth in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This section offers news briefs on the mining industry India as of April 2013. The index of mineral production of mining and quarrying sector has risen in December 2012. The government has directed Coal India Ltd. (CIL) to sign Fuel Supply Agreements (FSAs) with power plants. National Aluminium Co. Ltd. (NALCO) plans to invest in various new and existing alumina/aluminium projects.

Abstract: Most of the developing countries across the world have opened up their mining industry for private sector participation since late 1980s with a view to increase the overall efficiency of the mineral extraction. But are the private mining firms really efficient than the public sector firms? In such a context this paper compares the extraction efficiency of public and private mining firms in India by assessing their Total Factor Productivity (TFP). The study reveals that TFP levels of private firms are significantly higher than that of public firms in metallic, non-metallic and coal mining sectors. TFP levels of private firms in non-metallic sector are almost double that of public firms. Similarly, private firms in metallic and coal mining industry are one and half times more productive than public firms. In such a context, we can suggest that private participation in the mining industry may boost the overall productivity of the sector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Rural area electrification in developing countries helps to improve the quality of life of the people. It increases productivity and supports education. It also discourages people from migrating towards urban areas. In India about 70% of the population lives in rural area, hence it is necessary to electrify these villages to achieve inclusive economic growth. Transmission and distribution of power to this less densely populated areas which are located far away from the power generating stations is the major reason for not able to achieve 100% electrification in the country. Hence it is necessary to find out an energy source which can be decentralized to supply power to these hamlets. As India is blessed with solar energy which is omnipresent in almost all parts of the country, micro grid system which uses solar photo voltaic panels seems as the finest option. The solar photo voltaic system converts light energy into direct current power using photovoltaic effect. Battery is used to store the extra power generated during the day and used during nights. Inverters and power conditioning devices are used to convert direct current power generated by solar photo voltaic systems to alternative current, which is supplied to the load using power distribution network which adds to system cost. At present the capital cost and the land requirement for this system is higher than all other renewable energy power generation system. But it has very less operation and maintenance cost which makes it superior to other system. Moreover additional modules can be added to it when the power demand increases. This paper says about how rural area electrification can be achieved in India by solar photo voltaic system micro grid system and the challenges which has to be over come during implementation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examines the productivity, efficiency change and technical progress of small manufacturing firms in Coimbatore, India using Data Envelopment Analysis. Since July 1991, major economic policy changes have been made under an economic reforms programme. The new policies have relaxed or removed many government controls on production capacity, imported capital goods, intermediate inputs and technology. These reforms have altered the economic environment of the country. The results reveal that productivity and technical progress was slightly higher in the pre-reform period than in the post-reform period but technical efficiency is greater in the post-reform period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applied the Malmquist productivity index in order to estimate total factor productivity growth and its components (efficiency change and technological progress) in Indian manufacturing during the pre- and post-reform periods. The results illustrate that the economic reforms have not exerted positive effects on productivity growth in Indian manufacturing. However, the impacts of economic reforms differ between sectors and between components of total factor productivity. First, after reform, the productivity of heavy industries increased, whereas the productivity of light industries decreased. Second, reform improves both the efficiency and the technological progress in the heavy industries, but failed to improve efficiency in light industries. The results of this study suggest that specific policies should be implemented in order to improve efficiency as well as technical progress, thus ultimately facilitating long-run productivity growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic policy reform in respect of Indian cement industry, during the early 80's, resulted in a phenomenal growth of this sector. Cement industry being highly energy intensive in nature, further development of this industry, without increasing pressure on energy demand, would require growth in productivity. Thus, aim of this paper is to estimate Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth in Indian cement industry as growth in TFP could ensure growth of this sector which is less dependent on energy and other inputs. Applying Stochastic Frontier Approach, the study first estimates TFP growth and then decomposes it into its components for the period 1989-90 to 2006- 07. Empirical results show that the industry has experienced TFP growth during the study period and this growth is driven mainly by scale component and technical progress and not by technical efficiency change as technical efficiency has come out to be time invariant in this context. In the light of empirical results, the policy implication is that an industrial policy of exploiting the existing economies of scale is required to be implemented; and to boost the growth of this sector, priority should be given to enhance firms' capability of catching-up by adopting efficiency oriented action plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been a matter of debate whether Technology provides better financial results and improves productivity. The present paper attempts to study the inter-group comparison of financial performance of Indian banks by classifying the banks on the basis of usage of Technology. Further, for the purpose of temporal comparison, the period for the study has been divided into two parts, i. e. low technology induction period and high technology induction period. Findings of the paper show that the fully it oriented banks are financially better off than the partially it oriented banks. Moreover, the performance of almost all the banks under study has tremendously improved in the high technology induction period. However, for the Indian banking industry, the correlation between Technology induction and financial productivity is negative though statistically insignificant and low [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically tests the Balassa–Samuelson (B-S) productivity bias hypothesis in seven South Asian countries. We use auto regressive distributed lag (ARDL) modelling to develop a dynamic structure of the B-S hypothesis. Using annual data from Penn World Table Version 7.0 and the ‘bounds test’, we found no evidence of the B-S hypothesis in six sampled countries (Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and the only exception was Bangladesh. We found that a 1% increase in labour productivity in Bangladesh relative to the US will lead to 2.5% appreciation in the real exchange rate of Bangladesh. The speed of adjustment towards equilibrium was found to be high, with short-run disequilibrium correcting by nearly 25% per annum in Bangladesh. The two endogenously determined structural breaks are found to be negative and statistically significant. These results add new insights to the time-series literature on the B-S hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work Performance modelling of the sole lasting unit, a part of shoe making industry has been done on the basis of Markov birth-death process using probabilistic approach for the purpose to compute and improve the time dependent system availability (TDSA). The kolmogorov-differential equations based on mnemonic rule are formulated using the performance model and are solved to estimate the availability of the system as a function of time month wise for the whole year using a more sensitive and advance numerical technique, known as adaptive step-size control Runge- Kutta method. The input contributors for the computation of time dependent system availability of the system are the existing failure and repair rate are taken from plant maintenance history sheets. The new repair rates are also devised for the purpose of maximum improvement in the availability. The analysis finding helps the plant management for adapting the best possible maintenance strategies. Performance modeling and availability analysis of a practical system is conducted in the paper with the purpose to improve its operational availability. The time dependent system availability (TDSA) is computed with the existing failure and repair rates on the monthly basis for the whole year. New devised repair rates are also proposed through which one can assure maximum availability of the system with existing equipments/or machines. It is also explored that the, the knowledge of TDSA minimizes the chances of sudden failure and assure the maximum availability of the system and exposes the critical subsystems which needs more attention and due consideration as far as the maintenance is concerned. The improvement in the availability of the system is mostly from 2% to 5% in most of the month. However it increases drastically to 9% in the month of April. Further the assured increase in availability increases productivity as well as the balance between demand and supply such that the manufacturer delivers its product properly in time to the market/society, which in turn increases the profit and the reputation of industry in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total Factor Productivity (TFP) measures the growth in output which is not accounted for by inputs. Data Envelopment Analysis which forms the basis for the computation of Malmquist TFP index is used in this paper to study the performance of different river basins in Andhra Pradesh state, India. The results indicated that average technical efficiency of all the basins is only 66%. In all the basins there was a decline in growth of agricultural output during the first two decades, viz., 1979-1980 to 1988-1989 and it had picked in the last decade (1999-2000). All the river basins have TFP change greater than 1 indicating progress in agricultural productivity. Out of the 40 river basins, 14 river basins have technical efficiency change less than 1 indicating decline in TFP growth whereas all the basins have technical changes greater than 1 implying that there is shift in production frontier over years. In general, within the TFP, technical change contributed more than technical efficiency change. Looking at the future options for increasing the agricultural output in the river basins, it is important to focus on improving the TFP growth compared to increasing the quantities of physical inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research addresses the implementation of lean principles in an Indian garment export industry. The objective is to evolve and test various strategies to eliminate waste and to improve the productivity. This paper briefly describes the application of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED). Existing state production floor was modified by using VSM efficiently to improve the production process by identifying waste and its causes. At the same time, set up time is also reduced considerably. We conclude with evidence of the early results of the programmes as well as a number of key learning points for other organizations wishing to follow similar path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal-based power plants in India account for about 53% of installed capacity and contribute to more than 60% of electricity generation. Making use of data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist productivity index, this study analyses the productivity change of these plants during the period 2003–2008. The productivity change is further decomposed into technical efficiency change, technological change and scale efficiency change. The impact on productivity of capacity addition and scrapping obsolete power-generating modules is examined. It is found that the sector recorded an average annual total factor productivity (TFP) growth of 1.2% during the period. The plants located in eastern and southern regions have achieved maximum annual growth of 2.2% and 2.0%, respectively. Plants in the central sector achieved maximum growth of 4.2% annually. It is also found that the impact of capacity addition resulted in reduced TFP growth. This study identifies the plants whose productivity changes have been progressive and regressive; such identification can guide suitable managerial intervention to improve productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seabuckthorn (Hippophae salicifolia) is one of the potential underutilized plant species having huge multipurpose benefits including economic and ecological. Comparative study of fruit morphology, architecture, and juice yield productivity revealed that fruit berries of Seabuckthorn in Mana valley was found superior and can provide higher economic return than the berries of other plant species. Moreover, awareness programmes related to nutritional worth and development and demonstration of value added product resulted in economy generation for local inhabitants. Several countries are commercially and ecologically harnessing the potential of Seabuckthorn for livelihood enhancement and environmental conservation. Correspondingly, in Indian Himalayan region, Seabuckthorn plant can also offer benefits of nutrition, food, medicine, cosmetic, etc., to the rural people for their socioeconomic development. Findings presented here have important connotations in light of upcoming organic food and nutraceutical industries in the country. The current study will also help in developing value chain of Seabuckthorn in Uttarakhand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even with the financial crisis of 2008, the steel consumption forecast for the BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - is for a significant increase over the next decades, due to their present low per-capita consumption level. The start up of new mines to supply this increase in demand is likely to be limited due to legal and practical restrictions related to environmental, social, manpower and energy issues. Therefore, most of the new demand for iron ore will be supplied by increasing the productivity of mines currently in operation. The main challenges for managing mine productivity are related to the choice of the estimation method, due to the difficulties in collecting appropriate information and to the establishment of a representative model. This article presents an estimation approach for mine productivity estimation through multiple regressions over the operational database of the mine. The approach is proposed through a Mine Productivity Estimation and Management tool (MPEM) which can deliver savings related to increased production efficiency by the identification and removal of losses in the mine production flow. Production improvement has been actually achieved in practical applications by managing the discrepancies in the KPIs of different operating shift crews. The operational variables have been identified directly over the operational database of the mine and the model has been developed in a simple and easy-to-use fashion, with excellent levels of correlation between the estimated and actual values of the mine's productivity. The article describes the development approach as well as the application of the model in a case-study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]