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Since the eighties of the last century, public enterpise (PE) has come under sharp ciriticism on groudns of their poor performance standard resulting in a continouss and heavy drainage of government funds. It has been argued that the results of the PEs should be justiciable, and they must renew the lease of their lives in the economy in terms of financial viability, their social service and non-economic objectives notwithstanding. Alternatively, they should be freed from discharge of disriminative social functions and obligations and compared to private enterprise (PrE) so that their performance correctly reflect their efficiency. Demands have also been reaised for privatisation of PEs. It is the opinion of the present researchers that mere exercises in the abstract plane-not backed by case studies of individual enterprises-would be devoid of substance. Such evaluation would also lack objectivity. About Author : Being all through a student of Calcutta University since matriculation, Saktipada Datta completed his post-graduation in 1958 and joined collge service in 1959.While in service,he obtained his Ph.D. Degree in 1971. He published a large number of research papers in the Economic Notebook of renowned newsppaers as well as economic journals. He underwent an orientation course as Academic Counselor in the Eastern Regional Centre in Calcutta of the Indira Gandhi National Open University in 1991 and has been continuing since then in that capacity (counseling in post-graduate level). He emulates the spirit (in his opinion, as a humble student), of Marxism that has imbibed in his think-reservoir an outlook of treating Social Science-and explaining social phenomena-in their totality embracing Political Economy, Political Philosophy, History and Sociology, and more importantly, from the standpoint of a particular philosophy. While expressing his position in regard to the same in the words of Karl Marx himself. "All I know is that Iam not a Marxist" but this time not in the same sense as the great philosopher. Contents : Acknowledgement Preface Part I Introduction The Concept of Public Enterprise Public Enterprise: Its Evolution Public Enterprise: Dimensions, role, Objectives Public Enterprise in a Developing Economy Organisational Forms and Management Autonomy Political Economy of Public Enterprise Part II Concepts and Methodology-Outline of Relationships Performance Profile-Operational Efficiency Part III Performane Profile-Profitability Returns on Owners' Equity Part IV Capital Structure-Conceptual Framework Capital Structure-SAIL and TSL Working Capital-Conceptual Framework Working Capital-SAIL and TSL Part V Concluding Observations Privation fo Public Enterprises in India Epilogue Index