Book Reviews
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120150114 |
| Published date | 01 January 2015 |
| Author | Asok Kumar Mukhopadhyay |
| Subject Matter | Article |
BOOK
REVIEWS
Rural Development
in
India: Strategies
and
Processes
G.
SREEDHAR
and D. RAJASEKHAR,
New
Delhi, Concept, 2014, pp-X:XIV +
496,
Rs.
300.
The theme
of
rural development in India today draws public attention
and involves public expenditure in a big way after the five most important
ministries (e.g. defence, foreign affairs, finance, home affairs, and HRD)
of
the Central Government. There is a plethora
of
research work and
publications on rural development and its related fields. The book under
review is important both in its approach and contents. It comprises 48
chapters presented in
11
thematic parts. Unlike many books on this theme,
it offers a blend
of
theoretical and practical aspects
of
rural development.
The two authors, belonging to two separate disciplines, have made a sincere
endeavour to provide an interdisciplinary perspective to various aspects
of
rural development. The subtitle
of
the book points out its main focus on
strategies and processes
of
rural development. They have made a critical study
of
several approaches and strategies adopted in the field
of
rural development
in India and, in addition, made impact assessment
of
the methods and
processes followed in the management
of
rural development initiatives.
In the multidimensional field
of
rural development there are, broadly
speaking, four different kinds
of
actors, namely, government (central,
state, and local), NGOs, corporate sector, and the people concerned. The
basic purpose
of
rural development is to improve the living standards
of
the people
in
rural areas. The World Bank defines rural development as
a strategy designed to improve the economic and social life
of
the rural
poor. This definition is based
on
an operational approach which focuses
on increasing the capacity
of
rural people to control their physical and
social environment on a self-sustaining basis intending to distribute the
benefits
of
development among different sections
of
rural population.
Thus, rural development is simultaneously a process and an ideology, and
it includes strategies, policies and programmes. The authors .have given
a beautiful summary
of
various pioneering efforts in rural
reconstru~tion
in India, and
of
the approaches to rural development during the period
of
planned development under various Five-Year Plans, namely, broad-
front approach, sectoral approach, target group approach, and integrated
(holistic) approach. India has experimented with these approaches, one
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