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Towards
the Development of a Definitive Infrastructure Policy in
AP: An Issue Paper
-- P
Nair and Deepak Kumar
The
Government of AP needs to rethink its Infrastructure strategy
in the light of current state priority. Unless these are
in line with state priorities, the strategies will not work
and will perpetually be at cross purposes. The current direction
taken by the state appears to point towards the development
of rural infrastructure, such as irrigation facility and
linkages. The paper attempts to assess the need for these
linkages and evolve broad policies to be implemented by
these strategies.
©
2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Water
Tariffs and Subsidies in South Asia: Understanding the Basics
--Dale
Whittington, John Boland and Vivien Foster
Reform
of the water and sanitation sector is occurring in many
countries, and offers the potential to improve services
to all. Of particular concern, however, is the situation
of the poor, and reform must be designed so that they receive
increased access to affordable services. A key issue in
this regard is water pricing, which is one of the main variables
affecting the distribution of benefits between different
stakeholders. However, experience shows that water pricing,
and the subsidies which are often delivered through water
tariffs, can be a source of major inefficiencies in the
sector. While affordability has been one of the prime concerns
of those setting tariffs and designing subsidies, there
may be significant flaws in many common pricing strategies
and subsidy delivery mechanisms. Rather than providing affordable
water to the poor, these may in fact be leading to financial
unsustainability of utilities, lack of access to services,
and inequity. The reform process provides the opportunity
to rationalize and reconsider the design of tariff and subsidy
structures, and seek new ones which may provide better results.
©
2002 World Bank (www.worldbank.org). Reprinted with permission.
Highway
Rescue Project and EMS in India: Agenda for the Future --
Dr.
Subroto Das and Sushmitha Das India
has one of the highest fatality rates in the world with
regard to road accidents. The irony is that pedestrians,
the public traveling in public transport, and two wheeler
drivers are the main victims of the road accidents in India.
There has been a lack of coordinated efforts so far, especially
in the post accident scenario, where 50% of the people die.
Lack of legislative reforms and enforcement and absence
of any regulation, and benchmarks for ambulances are two
of the major lacunae in India. A pilot project has been
set up in NH-8 to the care of post-accident trauma. New
technology such as mapping,24 hour control room, and a network
of mobile ambulances need to be developed. A formalized
rescue needs to be started and people should be trained
to react automatically to such situations. This article
discusses in detail, all the final points regarding such
issues.
©
2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
The
Dynamics of Risk Allocation in Non-Recourse Financing of Private
Sector Power Projects:Lenders' Perspective
-- Lata
Chakravarthy
The
non-recourse structure of financing power projects places
high risk on the lenders, as the project sponsors do not
bear economic risk of loss. If the sponsors who borrow for
a project fail to repay a non-recourse loan, the lender
has no recourse against the sponsor except to foreclose
the assets used to secure the loan. Lenders operating in
a highly competitive environment are facing constant pressure
on their margins. They are in a weak bargaining position
to price the loan in accordance with the risk assumed. In
their effort to bring the level of risk to match the return,
the lenders have brought about a complex and inefficient
project structure, resulting in significantly high project
cost. And in the context of a single buyer model, where
the IPP contracts with the buyer through a long-term Power
Purchase Agreement for sale of power, the risk mitigation
measures of lenders to an IPP project have actually resulted
in converting project risks into credit risk.
©
2004 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Price
Cap Regulation: The Route to Strengthening India's Power Sector
-- Mangesh
Kelkar and Khawar Iqbal
India's
power sector should progress towards price-cap regulation
in the long-term in order to improve the efficiency and
commercial orientation of distribution companies. While
several issues need to be resolved before this regulation
can be implemented, some steps can be taken in this direction
in the medium term.
©
2002 CRISIL (www.crisil.com). Reprinted with permission.
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