Poverty alleviation in India : policies and programmes

This book presents a detailed account of the design and management of half a dozen selected anti-poverty projects located in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The study being the product of extensive field work carried out at the grass-roots level brings out the point that if the poverty alleviation projects are properly designed and man aged better results could be obtained. The key elements of an effective design and management are (a) effective targeting, (b) monitoring, (c) sustainability and replication of the project. Targeting to be effective it requires an appropriated definition of the project beneficiary, development of cost ef fective system for identification of the tar get group, and effective benefit delivery. Project sustainability and replication would be ensured if benefits are continued to be delivered to the intended target groups through an appropriate delivery mechanism evolved and if the life of the project is pro longed through generation of internal fi nances and their recycling.

The papers included in this volume are written by experienced social scientists and provide a more realistic picture of the man ner in which the projects are designed and managed, the constraints faced by the authorities in this process and the options available to them to release these con straints. The book will be useful not only to students and teachers but also to policy makers and practitioners who are interested in the theory and practice of project plan ning and implementation.