Economic development and environment: a case study of India

Economic development in India, since the initiation of the First Five Year Plan in 1951, has involved industrial development and technological change, which has led to detrimental changes in the environment and in the structure of rural and urban societies. Of particular concern are issues such as pollution from industry, agricultural chemicals, and domestic waste; and mismanagement of forests, soils and water which provide the habitats essential for maintaining the diversity of life and are of special importance for the welfare of the poorest groups, specially tribal minorities, but which are used at rates in excess of their regenerative capacity. Not enough attention has been paid by the government to these problems.
The volume points out the failure of planners in recognizing the necessity of environmental conservation and strikes a note of warning to the policy-makers. It emphasizes that continuing public vigilance and debate is vital if the worst excesses of economic systems are to be moderated in India, as elsewhere.