Rural Development in India : Policies and Initiatives Book

Contents: 1. Agriculture and rural economy in the era of globalization/T. Haque. 2. Dimensions of economic reforms in India/T. Gopala Rao. 3. Poverty dynamics in rural Andhra Pradesh/S. Sudhakar Reddy. 4. Have the economic reforms bypassed the rural poor?/Aldas Janaiah. 5. Poverty, environment and sustainable freedom: evidence from villages/Shyam Sunder Pd Sharma. 6. Natural resource management through rural co-operatives/B. Sudhakara Reddy. 7. Women entrepreneurs and their enterprises: issues and concerns/T.L.N. Swamy. 8. Micro finance and emerging trends in rural economy/B.K. Swain. 9. Implications of globalization on India's rural economy/K. Nageswara Rao. 10. Implementation of Rural Employment Guarantee Act: a case study/Sandeep Joshi. 11. Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and poverty alleviation/R.R. Biradar. 12. Infrastructure and rural development/R.Y. Mahore. 13. Social mobilisation and poverty eradication/T. Prabhakar Reddy and K. Pratap Reddy. 14. Reinforcing rural infrastructure in India/Siba Prasad Pothal. 15. Social mobilization, employment and empowerment through Self-Help Groups (SHGs)/Y. Gangi Reddy. Index.

"The passage of the Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992 marked a watershed in the history of modern India. With this amendment, a uniform structure of Panchayats emerged throughout the country. Article 243 G read with Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution explicitly requires the states to devolve powers and authority on Panchayats which may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self government.

Rural infrastructure in India, though much improved than prior to economic reforms, is not commensurate with emerging challenges of globalisation to the rural economy. Rural skills are either untapped or underutilised. Upgradation of rural technologies has not been taking place satisfactorily to cater to the needs of unemployed rural youth. Rural artisans are not finding proper place in the rural economic arena and they are not having adequate opportunities to prove their worth. In the face of increasing consumerism, traditional rural activities are loosing their importance. Rural artisans without proper credit, raw material and market are not in a position to cope up with emerging challenges. The rural artisans, like farmers, are also committing suicides. The rural youth in general and the educated youth in particular are deprived of employment opportunities due to digital divide.

The present book has covered major issues pertaining to impacts of globalization on rural sector." (jacket)