Book Review: A. Vinod Kumar, India and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Regime: The Perennial Outlier
| Published date | 01 June 2016 |
| DOI | 10.1177/2321023016634966 |
| Date | 01 June 2016 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
132 Book Reviews
In their paper, Broome et al. have presented a detailed study of the changing paradigms of wildlife
conservation in India and underlined the importance of the CWH provision of the FRA. They, however,
also accept that this provision has not been taken seriously by the FD and other concerned authorities.
Many other chapters of the book have focused on the analysis of the impact of the FRA on different
groups, for example, Sagri R. Ramdas examines the complexities of livestock sector and argues that the
FRA offers new possibilities to grazing communities, highlighting how its potential has not been fully
utilized. Kundan Kumar and Dhrupad Choudhury discuss the enormous complexities surrounding the
phenomenon of shifting cultivation. They basically underline the point that this traditional practice
has not been dealt with seriously in forest laws, even in the FRA. On the other hand, Prakash Kashwan
and Viren Lobo present a critique of the FRA’s ‘internal’ dimensions of the governance problem, and
argue that it does not present a framework to resolve the acute challenge posed by intra- and inter-village
inequities of assets and power.
Although the book has covered most of the pertinent aspects of forest governance in India, it lacks
an in-depth analysis of at least three aspects: First, one cannot comprehend the complexities of forest
governance in India without a profound understanding of the Maoist movement in central India
(Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odhisha, Andhra Pradesh and in many districts of Maharashtra). The Maoists
used arbitrary and suppressive behaviour of the FD to strengthen their position in forest areas. Second,
there is a need to analyze the role of grass-roots movements in the political awakening of tribals in forest
areas. In this context, the struggle for the enactment of laws, such as the PESA and the FRA, is signifi-
cant. The book, however, does not present the role of local organization in forest-related issues—in
particular, it completely avoids the different issues related to the PESA and even in the case of FRA it
does not present any analysis of the role of grass-roots organizations. Madhu Sarin in her paper has pre-
sented a brilliant account of different issues related to the FRA, but the role of grass-roots organizations
and the implication of the enactment of the FRA on the Indian democracy and state structure are not
properly analyzed in her chapter or any other chapter of the book. Third, there is a need to probe the situ-
ation of ‘legal pluralism’ in forest areas. There are many laws and their provisions are contradictory. This
situation is also responsible for the non-implementation of many ‘progressive’ provisions of the FRA and
PESA. Despite these omissions, the volume as a whole captures many complexities of the churning in
the governance of Indian forests.
Kamal Nayan Choubey
Assistant Professor, Dyal Singh College, Delhi University
E-mail: kamalnayanchoubey@gmail.com
A. Vinod Kumar, India and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Regime: The Perennial Outlier. New Delhi:
Cambridge University Press. 2014. 233 pages. `795.
DOI: 10.1177/2321023016634966
This is an admirable contribution to both the literature on nuclear non-proliferation and India’s relation-
ship with regime types. At present, it is the only complete account of what scholars like to call ‘counter-
proliferation’ and India. This book provides an easily readable narrative of how India sought to develop
strategies of action to deal with non-proliferation norms embedded in the Treaty on the Non-proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Yet, this book is not just about telling a story of Indian efforts. It is as much
about establishing a conceptual framework through which these terms of debate can be better under-
stood. The central argument is clear from the outset: that India’s relationship with ‘instruments of non-
proliferation’ has in turn shaped and informed its approach to nuclear policy. In many ways, this is an
To continue reading
Request your trial