Planned development of resources in a development region

Dr. Sinha employs an interdisciplinary approach to underscore the real import of resources physical, cultural and econo mic- in the backward, though developing, Monghyr District of Bihar, India. Monghyr is predominantly an agricultural region, with little industriolization so far. The key to its economic growth lies, says the author, in rapid industrialization and a balanced development of agriculture, which, in turn, involve mobilisation of the known, unknown, developed and underdeveloped resources of the region.

Focussing, for the first time, on the planned development of resources in the Monghyr region, the book relevantly considers : (1) How far have the resources, specially the resources, like human, water, forest, agricul tural, and industrial, been exploited and developed in Monghyr? (2) How far a conducive geographical environment helps develop various resources? (3) What kind of resources inhere for the development poten tial? (4) How best can the level of resource development be raised to achieve the ideals. of social justice and decent living? How are the different resources interlinked to form one 'system'? The study, addressing itself to these and similar questions, identi fies the problems that need to be grappled with, if the national planning effort is to be more meaningful, result-oriented. author also seeks to correlate the resource The development to the rate of economic growth in the region through the technique of matrix analysis.

Today, when microlevel planning and regio

nal studies are gaining increasing importance,

Dr. Sinha's book will serve as an excellent model for the scholars and planners working on the integrated development of other backward and developing regions in India and elsewhere.