2011 SEEP Annual Conference: Sankar Datta on the need for integrated financial services
Following his presentation at the the 2011 SEEP Annual Conference, Dr. Sankar Datta, Dean of the Livelihood School set up by BASIX India, discusses how the microfinance industry has recently focused only on finance, overlooking technical assistance and institutional services. Datta reminds practitioners that we are not here to tap the market at the bottom of the pyramid, but actually to help the poor augment their income by providing financial services which includes not only credit, but also savings, remittances, pensions, and insurance — the whole bundle. Further, he explains, these finance mechanisms need to be supported by technical assistance and institutional services.
Bio: Dr. Sankar Datta
Dr. Sankar Datta, Dean of the Livelihood School set up by BASIX India, has been associated with rural development activities as practitioner and academic for 29 years. He has spearheaded the promotion of oilseeds cooperatives in central India. Datta serves on the boards of several national-level institutions and is a member of the Planning Commission Working Group of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. He is also a faculty member of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.