Area planning for regional development
- New Delhi Inter India Publications 1984
- 144 p.
Planning in India has been macro in approach, sectoral in coverage and highly centralized. Of late, the realization has dawned that these strategies are unsuited for removing regional imbalances and improving the lot of the economically weaker sections. Government planning has therefore shifted its emphasis towards area planning, an integrated approach and greater decentralization.
In the present work, various contributors have dwelt on different aspects of area planning. Broadly it aims to analyse present trends in area plenning and suggest remedies wherever necessary, in the interests of the proper growth of the economy. The problems of the regional planning process in India in general and the specific case to Tamil Nadu are featured. Approaches to integrated rural development are discussed, and a case study of a particular block in Andhra Pradesh provides insights Into its functioning.
The Integrated Rural Development strategy as envisioned will have an impact on other aspects of the economy. Thus its potentialities for generation of employ ment and in improving the quality of rural life are highlighted. The significance of regional development strategies and some of the lessons learnt from district level planning are discussed in two papers.
In endeavouring to steer the Indian planning process towards the desired goals, this work is a signal contribution by economists to understanding how it can be archieved. Government planners and economists as well as students of the subject will find it eminently useful.