Perspective of Indian agriculture, industry and infrastructure are themes sought after by many in various organisations, including the academic community, for extensive research, policy formulation and implementation. Under these four heads, a number of specific topics have been covered in this publication through thoughtprovoking papers. These are contributions fro specialists associated, with research work, implementors and practitioners of programmes. The contributors present considerable insights into review of progress, gains and shortfalls of implementation, and directions for the future. They throw light on what needs to be done for accelerating economic growth at national, state and sub-regional levels. To enable India to become a developed nation, efficiency of the use of physical resources and human resources is vital, along with effectiveness of the use of capital, advanced technologies, and adoption of modern methods of governance. A few of the specific themes covered are: (a) Agriculture: food security, Indian agriculture scenario, tobacco, cotton, dairy development, and networking of rivers; (b) Industry: enhancing, competitiveness among small and medium enterprises, and Indian industry as a whole, parents, quality improvement and pharmaceuticals; and (c) Infrastructure: export promotion industrial parks, rural infrastructure, power sector.

This work analyzes growth and structural change in Indian agriculture over the last three decades. In order to develop a global perspective, the Indian agricultural growth experience is introduced using parallels and contrasts with other parts of the Third World. The book is characterized by an empirical approach to the underlying economic data and a multi-disciplinary approach to the ramifications of agricultural growth. Considered among these are the transformation of the female labor force, population migrations and changes in human welfare. This book differs from the numerous others on Indian agriculture insofar as it takes a regional perspective, focusing on the causes and effects of inter-state variations.

With reference to India.

This book examines various facets of the development process such as aid, poverty, caste networks, corruption, and judicial activism. It explores the efficiency of and distributional issues related to agriculture, and the roles of macro models and financial markets, with a special emphasis on bubbles, liquidity traps and experimental markets. The importance of finite changes in trade and development, as well as that of information technology and issues related to energy and ecosystems, including sustainability and vulnerability, are analyzed. The book presents papers that were commissioned for the Silver Jubilee celebrations at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR). The individual contributions address related development problems, ensuring a homogeneous reading experience and providing a thorough synthesis and understanding of the authors’ research areas. The reader will be introduced to various aspects of development thought by leading and contemporary researchers. As such, the book represents an important addition to the literature on economic thought by leading scholars, and will be of great value to graduate students and researchers in the fields of development studies, political economy and economics in general.

The volume offers to the reader a multi-faceted dialogue between noted experts from two major agricultural countries, both founding members of the Word Trade Organisation, each one with different stakes in the great globalisation game. After providing the recent historical background of agricultural policies in India and France, the contributors address burning issues related to market and regulation, food security and food safety, the expected benefits from the WTO and the genuine problems raised by the new forms of international trade in agriculture, including the sensitive question of intellectual property rights in bio-technologies. This informed volume underlines the necessity of moving beyond the North-South divide, in order to address the real challenges of the future.

Contributed articles on economic aspects of agriculture in India.