Book Review

Abstract

All individuals, communities and nations, irrespective of culture, religion and spatial location, cherish development. Most commonly, development refers to growth or evolution, i.e. stage of advancement, however the term or notion of development is also a hotly contested one. In the context of rural areas, development can mean developing better physical, social and economic conditions for populations. Despite having the second largest population and third largest economy (on purchasing power parity basis) in the world, two-thirds of the Indian population live in rural areas and face the problems of development in their daily struggles for a better quality of life. Yet agriculture and its allied sectors, upon which the rural masses rely for a good part of their livelihood base, contributes less than one-fifth of India's present GDP. Hunger, poverty, disease, illiteracy or poor quality education, lack of even basic infrastructure such as sanitary, medical, and transport facilities, are still very common incidences in rural India. This raises some serious questions about the rural development praxis adopted by our country since independence. Any discussion on rural development has to be situated within the above context. The book Rural Development: Concept and Recent Approaches is helpful for those who want to grasp rural development so far as its principles, issues and recent practices are concerned. The book comprises seven chapters, which focus on sustainable rural livelihoods, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and decentralization, self-help groups, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), tribal development, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It presents a coherent set of arguments and understanding about rural development in India. The first chapter (pp. 1-57), "Concept and importance of rural development", deals with the components, nature and scope of rural development; the principles of rural development programmes; and the history of rural development in India.