Politics of Indian economy

With the passing away of Jawaharlal Nehru ended a crucial period in in dependent India's political and economic development. The essays included in this volume were written during this period for the "Economic Weekly" by "Pragmatist"-an Indian economist who had the privilege to play an active part in planning for India's development under the inspiring leadership of Nehru. These essays record the hopes and fears as well as the challenge and response of a generation whose youth was spent in fighting for the country's political freedom and manhood in laying the foundations for its economic and social well being. These represent, therefore, the thoughts not of a pure "economist" but of a "political economist" in whose view politics and economics cannot be separat ed in the thinking of those who have to deal with the problems of economic deve lopment. Although these essays were written at different times on problems of rather topical interest and can be best understood in the context of those times a common theme, nevertheless, runs through them. That theme is the political and economic perspective for the coun try's current policies. These essays are being put together in this volume in the belief that they would not only help those who wish to understand the urges which prompted some of the key people who helped the Government of India formulate its economic policies during the Nehru era but also the dangers against which they wanted the country to be guarded and the calculated risks which they felt impelled to take.