India : Issues in Development

Contents: Foreword. Introduction. 1. India\'s economic security. 2. Redefining poverty : a new poverty line for a new India. 3. Will India catch-up with China? 4. The economic strangulation of Bihar. 5. The looming crisis in Indian agriculture. 6. FDI in India\'s retail II : inviting more trouble? 7. Towards a new petroleum products pricing policy. 8. Cost of conflict : the Indian experience. 9. Economic growth and development in West Bengal : reality versus perception. 10. Left behind : a case study of Assam. 11. The children of the Ganga and the politics of allocation : cases of U.P. and Bihar. 12. Centrally planned inequality : the tale of two states - Punjab and Bihar. 13. Jammu and Kashmir : is there really a fresh vision and a new blueprint? 14. The de-urbanisation of Bihar. 15. Last in the South : economic growth and development in Andhra Pradesh.

"This is a collection of all the reports by the Centre for Policy Alternatives team led by Mohan Guruswamy till April 2006. The reports cover a wide range of subjects and have made a major contribution to the national discussion on critical issues. Several of them such as "Redefining poverty", "Economic growth and development in West Bengal",  "The economic strangulation of Bihar" and "FDI in retail" have revealed new dimensions to issues that have contributed greatly to a change of perceptions about them. The reports are primarily meant for the nation\'s opinion and decision-making elite, such as MP\'s, government officials and media-persons. They are hence written in a simple, comprehensible and illustrative style. Each report will vastly enrich your understanding of India and some of the problems that beset it." (jacket)