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Committees in Indian Economy — UPSC Mains Model Answer

Economy · UPSC CSE
Question: Role and significance of high-level committees in shaping India's financial sector reforms

Introduction

India's financial sector transformation has been largely steered by expert committees whose recommendations translated into institutional architecture — from insurance regulation to derivatives markets — reflecting the state's calibrated approach to reform.

Body

1. Insurance Sector Reform — R.N. Malhotra Committee

The Malhotra Committee recommended opening the insurance sector to private and foreign participation and establishing an independent regulator. Its recommendations directly led to the creation of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), ending the public sector monopoly. This correctly matches the committee's mandate and institutional outcome.

2. Derivatives Trading — L.C. Gupta Committee

The L.C. Gupta Committee was constituted by SEBI to develop a framework for introducing derivatives trading in Indian capital markets. It laid the groundwork for exchange-traded futures and options, strengthening price discovery and risk management. This pairing of committee, mandate, and parent institution is accurate.

3. Urjit Patel Committee — Monetary Policy, Not Housing

The Urjit R. Patel Committee was constituted by RBI to recommend a revised framework for monetary policy, specifically recommending inflation targeting and a Monetary Policy Committee. It did not address housing sector lending reforms, making that row factually incorrect.

4. Microfinance Reforms — Y.H. Malegam Committee

The Malegam Committee, set up by RBI, examined the microfinance sector following concerns about over-indebtedness and coercive recovery practices. Its recommendations shaped the regulatory framework for NBFC-MFIs, correctly linking the committee to RBI and microfinance reform.

Conclusion

Expert committees serve as policy bridges between identified sectoral gaps and institutional responses. Accurate attribution of their mandates is essential for administrators who must implement, evaluate, and build upon the regulatory frameworks these bodies establish.

Word count: 236

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