Land is evidently the most critical cause of poverty and violence in contemporary India. The Social Development Report 2010, with a special focus on the land question, captures trends in the usual human development indicators, such as, literacy, life expectancy, and per capita income. It also studies differentiated socioeconomic and political indicators for marginalised groups—dalits, adivasis, unorganised labour, religious minorities—and women and children among them.

This Report is a collection of empirical studies showing the record of social development in India. It strongly posits that development has to be a comprehensive process of change benefiting not only the recognised, but also the marginalised. With contributions from experts in the field, this report:

• Presents an intensive analysis of land reform policy and practice in India.
• Examines the crisis of agriculture in contemporary India.
• Focusses on macro-trends on specific issues—poverty and malnutrition, education and
health, and specific marginalised groups in the light of recent initiatives of the
Indian state.
• Discusses the experience of farmers in rural India and the causes for the increasing
number of farmer suicides; and
• Highlights the need for an alternative development strategy.

In addition, the Report underscores the contemporary conditions of the marginalised sections of Indian society
and carries contributions on recent developments relating to child rights, violence, and administrative
reforms. It also includes a social development index providing useful statistical information on social dimensions
of development.

Foreword by Muchkund Dubey

PART I

Social Development: Key issues

Social Development and the Story of the Marginalised: An Introduction: Manoranjan Mohanty

1. State of Poverty and Malnutrition in India: R. Radhakrishna, C. Ravi and B. Sambi Reddy
2. Women, Disparities, and Development: C.P. Sujaya
3. Dalits and Development: Surinder S. Jodhka;
4. The Forest Rights Act, the Adivasis, and the State: Shankar Gopalkrishnan
5. Child Rights and Implications for India’s Democracy: Shantha Sinha
6. Universalising School Education: A Missed Opportunity: Muchkund Dubey
7. Para-Teachers, Education Guarantee Scheme, and PPP: Road to Dismantling the Public Education System: Sadhana Saxena
8. Issues of Health and Equity in India: N.J. Kurian
9. Informal Employment in India: Ajit K. Ghose
10. Of Minorities and Social Development: The Case of India’s ‘Missing’ Muslims: Riaz Ahmad
11. Rights in Theory and Practice: A Case Study of the NREGA: Kaustav Banerjee
12. Violence in Contemporary India: Trends, Causes, Interventions: K.S. Subramanian
13. Social Development and Administrative Reforms: Dolly Arora

Part II

The Land Question and the Marginalised

14. Land Reforms: Unfinished Agenda or Reversal of Policy: K.B. Saxena
15. Agrarian Crisis and Challenges in Reviving Small Farmer Economy: D. Narasimha Reddy
16. Improving the Rural Poor’s Access to Land and Water in India: T. Haque
17. Landlessness and the Marginalised: A Study of Kalahandi, Bhojpur, and Chittoor: Manoranjan Mohanty, Suranjita Ray, G.N. Trivedi, and N. Sukumar
18. Changing Agrarian Scene: Sociology of Land, Wages, and Indebtedness in UP: Prashant Kumar Trivedi

PART III

Social Development Index

19. Social Development Index 2010: Kaustav Banerjee

PART IV

Concluding Essay

20. Why an Alternative Model of Economic Development?: Amit Bhaduri