The first reprint is a speech by our Hon'ble President of India which sets the tone for the issue. President has rightly indicated agriculture as one of the core-competencies of the county that needs to be pursued by the banks and provision of urban amenities in rural areas (PURA).

The second reprint is a speech by the Governor R.B.I., Dr. Reddy on "Rural Credit: Status and Agenda". This article traces the maladies of rural financing, particularly the inadequacies of RRBs and weakness of cooperatives.

Mr. Y.C. Nanda, former Chairman of NABARD is well known for his passion for SHG's. His article on Micro -finance initiatives of the country traces the development from the beginning of the movement to massive reach it has today.

The article by Dr. Thingalaya on Rural Financing: Compatibility of Regional Rural Banks argues for enhancing the scope of RRBs and making them financially vibrant, where all financial services will be available.

The role of subsidy in credit linked development programmes in the topic of Mr. K.V. Patel's article. Given that subsidy has been considered a tool of rural development the article is important for policy makers on rural development. Subsidy cannot be equated to risk management systems nor is it sufficient incentive for taking up unviable activities in the guise of development financing.

Dr. Majumdar's "Role and Relevance of Priority Sector lending in a Globalised Banking Scenario" argues forcefully for continuance of priority sector concept. Given the views expressed by other authors and speeches, the idea is well taken. This will ensure that commercial banks will, rightfully continue to play an important role in rural credit and objective behind recent initiatives in doubling of credit will be realised.

Shri P.N. Joshi in his "Recovery Performance in Rural Credit Portfolio" highlights the poor recovery and evaluates the NPA norms.