Economy: second India studies

This book draws a picture of the Indian economy in the year A.D. 2000, by which time India's population could well be in the region of 945 million. In this futurological exercise, Dr Mehta comes to some startling conclusions: thus, even if India was so fortunate as to achieve, on a sustained basis, an annual growth rate of 9 per cent for the next twenty-seven years, her per capita income (in terms of gross domestic product) will be no more than US $ 615 at 1972-73 prices.

The central problem, therefore, according to the author is: how should India structure her economic priorities and technological endeavours, so that 945 million Indians can be assured of the right to work and freedom from want.
The author uses the path-breaking work of Hollis Chenery and supplies a reliable basis for arriving at the various projections. each predicated on the growth rate postulated for the particular scenario. This is the first book of its kind written about India and is bound to generate a great amount of debate.