Industrial Transition In Rural India

Rapid industrialisation is promoted by many as the most feasible way of rejuvenating the Indian economy, and as a way of generating employment on a large scale. At the same time, the transfer of land from rural communities and indigenous groups for industrial parks, mining, or Special Economic Zones has emerged as perhaps the most explosive issue in India over the past decade. Industrialising Rural India sheds light on crucial political and social dynamics that unfold today as India seeks to accelerate industrial growth. The volume examines key aspects that are implicated in current processes of industrialisation in rural India, including the evolution of industrial and related policies; the contested role of land transfers, dispossession, and the destruction of the natural resource base more generally; and the popular resistance against industrial projects, extractive industries and Special Economic Zones. Combining the work of scholars long established in their respective fields with the refreshing approach of younger scholars, Industrialising Rural India seeks to chart new ways in the study of contemporary industrialisation and its associated challenges in India. This cutting-edge interdisciplinary work will be of interest to scholars working on industrial development and land questions in India and South Asia alongside those with an interest in sociology , political science and development research.

Viewed mainly as the growth of manufacturing sector as opposed to agriculture and the increased use of inanimate sources of power in the production of goods and services, rural industrialization offers the greatest scope for absorbing the existing and growing labour force outside the field of agriculture. However, rural industrial scene continues to be characterised by the concentration of labour force in agriculture, predominance of traditional crafts, low levels of technology, hereditary mode of production, poor productivity and returns and low labour efficiency and utilisation. Besides glorification of traditional crafts and self-employment, caste-industry nexus, and above all policy bias in favour of agriculture as against industry and large and medium capital-intensive industries as against small village and cottage industries also worked as strong impediments to the development of rural crafts. Drawing from the nationwide experiences, this book examines the problems of the growth and modernisation of rural industries from socio-economic perspectives and probes into the organisational and technology system underlying their production structure with all its implications an ramifications. The reversal of the policy favouring large modern industry sector and the spread of tiny small industries throughout the country with full package of organisational, technical, financial and marketing support in adequate measure have been strongly advocated. In addition, the integration of the development of rural industries with the overall programme of industrialisation was emphasized.

On the importance of small scale agro-based industries.

Monograph on rural development in India - points out the causes and consequences of the failures of industrialization in rural areas, and stresses the need for a new approach to the problem, including the development of appropriate technology and agriproduct processing, the utilization of natural resources and the creation of employment opportunities, etc. Bibliography pp. 219 to 225, diagrams, graphs and statistical tables.