Sustained Development through People: The Need for Political Activization

Abstract

In the January-March 1988 issue of Vikalpa, Professor Ranjit Gupta discussed how village communities could identify and develop their own opportunities and resources as part of planned interventions for development. Based on the experiment initiated by the late Pr6fessor Ravi J Mathai, Professor Ranjit Gupta drew lessons of how rural development activities should be mounted.

From his experiences as a rural investigator in Karnataka, V M Rao agrees with Professor Gupta that given the initial fillip by the interveners, the rural poor can be motivated for developmental action. But for sustaining the initiative, their political activization is necessary to ensure governmental support and resist pressures from the rural elite -Ed.)