Dimensions of development planning

The logical relevance of once worshipped dictums like free market mechanism', 'laissez faire', 'uninterrupted free enterprize system' etc. has eroded rapidly in the context of welfare states in the modern era. The urge to develop faster and unanimous sup port for eradication of poverty, illiteracy squalor, disease, unemployment and dis parities-vertical as well as spatial-has led to overhauling of theoretical frames, designs and policies as well as to all pervasive change in approaches and programmes. It is widely recognised today that develop mental programme and model of economic planning adopted for any area must fit in the specific conditions of each country and its strategy has to be chosen according to the needs confronted challenges and its societal aspirations. The experiences, cons traints and scenario of development in countries and regions at various stages as governed by different systems have been covered here.

Inspite of a prolific growth of literature on the varied dimensions of economic plan ning and social engineering in the last four decades, it is widely felt that 'Area Planning' approach is relatively a new and unexplored part of human knowledge even today. With growing emphasis and increased confidence of planners on this approach towards prag matic results, the need of a comprehensive multicoverage treatise on dimensions of planning is well recognised. This book offers a package deal on planning. In this endeavour, theoretical, environmental, resource-base, applied and tested dimensions, empirically proved planning experiments, and multi-sectoral extensive knowledge, on socio-economic spatial planning has been brought together with a collaboration of nearly O experts of the subject. The book 50 constitutes a unique collection of specialised research papers on varied aspects of the subject covering angles of approaches by geographers, economists, sociologists, psychologists, historians as well as agro scientists.