New Horizons in Rural Development Administration

Integrated Rural Development as currently interpreted, is a very wide concept which includes not only increased productivity, particularly agricultural, but also increased and more diversified rural employment to generate higher incomes for the rural poor as well as provision of minimum acceptable standards of shelter, education and health in rural areas. Since rural development is a preferred condition, the approaches and strategies to tackle it, as adopted in various countries, depend on the ideological orientation of the elite, the structure of political setup and the perception of national needs. The present study is an attempt on assessing what has been done in the past forty-one years since India became Independent. It also takes into account the steps that have been taken and maes suggestions for the future which would involve greater participation by people for whom the whole programme of rural development is intended. The framework for giving new thrust to Panchayati Raj Institutions provided in the book forms the backbone of the study and the recommendations made in the study, if implemented sincerely by the government would certainly bring the Panchayati Raj Institutions on their wheels. A useful book, it is worth recommending to the students of M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. Courses on rural development. It may prove equally useful to the policy makers and implementing agencies engaged in the task of rural reconstruction.

Dr. S.N. Mishra (b. 1942), a prolific writer and scholar of repute, joined Magadh University. Bodh-Gaya in 1964. Which he served as Lecturer Reader and University Professor of Political Science. A keen student of Comparative Politics, Indian Political System and Political Sociology. Dr. Mishra is currently Professor of Rural Studies of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi. Prof. Mishra’s research interests centre round Development Administration, Panchayati Raj and Rural Sociology. Besides his fourteen Research Books. Prof. Mishra has contributed over under research papers to leading professionals journals both in India and abroad. He has also successfully supervised the research work of more than two dozen students for their Ph.D. and D. Litt. degrees. Prof. Mishra directs several training programmes and seminars on Development Administration at the Indian Institute of Public Administration. His latest studies “Evaluation of Economic Condition of Assignees of Ceiling Land. A Comparative Study of Haryana, Karnataka and West Bengal” and “Decentralization in Development” are due to come out soon.