Putting rural India first

The book comes pre-reviewed by several rural development eminencegrises with whom the author collaborated as a government development professional.

- SANJEEV AHLUWALIA

Unusually, for an IAS officer, he specialised narrowly in the rural development and social sectors, which the author ascribes to his good fortune. More likely, a deep personal commitment, outstanding achievements and productive professional relationships are his secret sauce.

The government in India was earlier better known for ideation and conception than implementation. Some of this had to do with the duality of Indian society, in which, till recently, a self-sustaining elite prevailed. Unsurprisingly, government systems aligned more with Delhi-facing centralisation than decentralisation offshoots of the initial need to make the nascent, constitutional glue stick.

Nevertheless, Gandhiji's dream of selfgoverning, resilient villages has enduring appeal. This book provides lessons for improving programme delivery culled from the author's work experience, of over four decades, translating high level policy objectives into programmatic interventions in multi-dimensional poverty reduction, enhancing equity and gender empowerment.

Over the last decade, the Union government has dreamt big but also pursued foundational programmes for implementing dreams. These include a mix of goods-roads, vays, rail and air connectivity, digital infrastructure, health insurance and facilities, financial inclusion, concessional debt, access to electricity and clean (but not green) cooking gas, sanitation, and drinking water supply. Unorthodox programmes provide private goods such as affordable homes, jobs in publicly funded programmes and income support schemes via the direct transfer mode for 80 million farmer families, free food for poor families and maternal and child health and nutrition support.