CONTENTS: Rural Credit -- An Introduction; Rural Credit -- Status & Agenda; The Trends & Challenges in Rural Credit; Rural Finance: Role of State & State -- Owned Institutions; Agricultural Credit in India: Status, Issues & Future Agenda; Microfinance: To the Rescue of Rural India; Microfinance Institutions: Delivery Models; Rural Credit & Microfinance: What RBI Internal Group Report Says? ; The Indian Microfinance Experience -- Accomplishments & Challenges; Are Rural Credit Markets Competitive? Is there Room for Competition in Rural Credit Markets? ; Microfinance in Africa: Experience & Lessons from Selected African Countries; Rural Informal Credit Markets: Nature, Extent & Characteristics.