Towards employment guarantee in India: Indian and international experiences in rural public works programmes

Based on a critical and comparative assessment of six rural public works programmes in the Netherlands, China, the former East Pakistan and India and a primary investigation of two major rural employment schemes in the state of Gujarat in India, this book assesses the potential of rural public works as a policy instrument for sustainable rural development.
The authors stress that these rural employment programmes must be transformed into a modern instrument of general development policy as they have tremendous potential to alleviate poverty. To achieve this, however, a number of measures have to be taken. The single most important factor, the authors argue, is the political commitment of the government. Second, as rural public works programmes are often based on short term and adhoc considerations, a far bolder and long-range application of these programmes is needed to realise their potential as a strategic development instrument. Fur thermore, say the authors, radical reforms are required in public administration including decentralisation, professionalisation and debureaucratisation.
In conclusion, the authors propose the gradual introduction of an employment guarantee scheme for rural landless labour in India. This well researched book will be of immense interest to policy makers, planners, NGOs and economists. It will also be of use to those interested in development economics, rural development, development planning and policy studies