The book — ‘Gandhian Approach to Economic Development,’ is the outcome of my long association with the development-activities of Khadi and Village Industries. In Khadi & V. I. Commission (KVIC), I worked in the Directorate of Economic Research which gave me an opportunity to study various aspects of KVI programmes from Gandhian point of view. I could also discuss various issues with the veteran Gandhians.
I realized that, although, Gandhiji was not an economist in the strict sense of the term, he provided a distinct approach towards solution of various economic problems. I also found that his ideas could not be dismissed as utopian as many of them are relevant in the present and for the future. Time has come to examine dispassionately various issues — from Gandhian angle, to build a society — egalitarian and non-violent which he termed as saroodaya society. I collated and analysed various ideas in the context of present policies and programmes from Gandhian point of view. The main object 10 this book is to provoke discussion on Gandhian approach. The whole World is searching for a new path. This discussion is all the more important, as the working of the centralised socialist economies has disillusioned us and there is no assurance that free enterprise and market forces would ensure social justice.
Contents –
1. Eradication of Poverty: The Gandhian Approach
2. India’s Human Resources: Productive Utilisation
3. Tackling Widespread Underemployment in India
4. A Comparative View of Approaches to Economic Development
5. Rural Development — The Gandhian Perspective
6. Decentralisation — The Gandhian View
7. Rural Industrialisation — Some Issues
8. Programmes of Employment and Self-employment
9. Helping the Tribals through Khadi and Village Industries
10 Cost of Job Creation in Labour-intensive and Capital-intensive Technologies
11. Policy Support for Decentralised Industries in Rural Sector
12. A Futuristic View — Decentralised Industries
13. Relevance of Gandhian Approach in the Present and Future
Annexures
