Development Via Autonomy

With the dawn of an era of liberalization and globalization in India, rural and urban development cannot be strictly compartmentalized. The growth story of India has to be inclusive and the benefits of economic growth have to be shared equally by the rural masses. Earlier rural development was considered synonymous with agricultural development but it soon came to be realized that rural development is much broader in scope and both cannot be subsumed as one. Agriculture is one amongst many other key areas which can contribute to rural growth. So, a multi-pronged approach to rural problems had to be devised to usher in a new era in the development scenario of rural India. The editor of the book under review, M.R. Biju, is a social scientist with strong socio-political leanings and impressive research credentials. This anthology of twenty-three seminal articles and research papers stands out as a very good collection mainly because of the quality of its contributors from different areas of specialization. The articles in this volume are not mere academic discourses or formulations but present the key issues in the form of analysis and evaluations by the authors who have not only dia-gnosed the afflictions bedevilling rural India but also spelt out a pragmatic approach to confront them at the grassroot level. The critical issues confronting rural India are neither exaggerated nor undermined but are highlighted in the right perspective and provide an engaging explanation.