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Household savings in rural areas appear to be a difficult variable to measure. They are not always quantifiable. Saving methods are practiced according to the need for ensuring a long term security of the household. One must differentiate between the saving potential of the rural community in cash, kind or livestock etc. Since the definition of saving is not consistent in formal and informal sectors, it is necessary to comprehend what rural savings are and what causes them to vary. The study conducted in rural Pakistan, therefore, focuses on the type, magnitude and determinants of such savings. The empirical evidences prove indigenous saving mechanisms as more purposeful for the rural population; because saving is generated in the form it is required for the satisfaction of needs of savers. The formal saving, however, has mostly to be converted into cash or exchanged against other items before its utilization. The ultimate benefit of saving to the saver is of considerable importance because it acts as an important incentive to save. The question of how to make these savings more productive for the saver is one of the biggest challenges for the policy makers.

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Dr Shahina Waheed is an expert of developing modern analytical and benchmarking methods for creative sub-sectors of the formal industrial sectors in United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Her work focuses on integrating MSMEs, entrepreneurs and technical innovators of Creative Industries into the organized creative economy.

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