Current Issue

Vol. 55,  No. 2,  2025

Prof. D.T. Lakdawala Memorial Lecture on Poverty, Inequality and Growth: Reviewing The Past and Looking Ahead

Montek Singh Ahluwalia¹
Centre for Social and Economic Progress, New Delhi, India

It is an honour to be invited to deliver the D.T. Lakdawala Memorial Lecture. Prof. Lakdawala founded the Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research and he was one of the most distinguished economists of his generation. He had deep interest in the measurement of poverty and made important contributions to the national debate in this area. Since it is in this context that I first met him, allow me to begin by recalling that occasion. It was in 1978 when I was working in the World Bank in Washington DC and visiting Delhi on holidays. I called on Yoginder K. Alagh, another stalwart from the Sardar Patel Institute, who was then the Advisor for the Perspective Planning Division, Planning Commission of India. In the course of the meeting, I mentioned that I was doing some empirical work on trends in rural poverty in India arising out of Pranab Bardhan’s 1971 paper which showed that rural poverty had increased between 1960-61 and 1967-68 (Ahluwalia, 1978). Bardhan’s result was contrary to the findings of B.S. Minhas who found a steady decline and the Bardhan paper was often quoted as demonstrating the failure of our growth strategy. I had a different view. I felt rural poverty was affected by the level of agricultural production per head of the rural population in the same year and also with one year lag and on this basis I felt the high poverty in 1967-68 did not reflect a trend increase but could be explained by the fact that agricultural production per head of the rural population was very low in 1967-68 and also in the previous year.

Calorie Undernourishment, Health Infrastructure and Level Of Income Among Major Indian States: An Empirical Exploration Of Interlinkages

Amarjit Singh Sethi¹ and Ritu Pandhi^2
1Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India ²Baring Union College, Batala, Punjab, India

Abstract: In this paper, an attempt has been made to probe as to how health infrastructure and income influence the extent of calorie undernourishment among major Indian states. The extent was measured through Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) index with α = 2. Primary dimensions of health infrastructure were identified through exploratory factor analysis taking into consideration different indicators that were used in three rounds of surveys carried out by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). Within each of urban and rural regions, mean levels of calorie undernourishment were observed to be grossly different, both temporally and cross-sectionally. Further, the states have undergone major temporal reshuffling with respect to the status of health infrastructure. Interlinkages between calorie undernourishment, health infrastructure and per capita income were examined through panel data regression analysis. Diagrammatical exposition of strength of the interlinkages was obtained via path analysis. Analytical findings are suggestive of a dire need for strengthening of health infrastructure, particularly in respect of primary and community health centres.

Key Words: Calorie undernourishment, Health infrastructure, FGT index, Time series factor analysis, Panel regression analysis, Path analysis.

Economic Interdependence of Border Communities At Assam-Bhutan Border: Dynamics And Opportunities

Sangita Gogoi and Abani Kumar Bhagabati
Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India

Abstract: Borderlands function as dynamic arenas or spaces where the tangible everyday realities of the border people are played out, shaping human interactions and economic activities. The Assam-Bhutan border is one of the oldest in Indian history, dating back to Ahom rule in 1228 AD. Owing to spatial proximity and shared socio-cultural ties, the economic activities of the border people and their interdependency have naturally evolved, fostering mutual benefits for the people residing on both sides of the border. The border communities have long relied on each other to sustain their livelihoods. This paper is an attempt to explore the economic interdependency of the border people across the Assam-Bhutan border through primary and secondary data, semi-structured interviews, and open-ended discussions. It offers insights into the resilience of traditional trade networks in border regions and their potential to promote regional economic integration. The findings of the study show the importance of the border haats, the promotion of local economies, and flow of labour to Bhutan, exhibiting the interdependency of the border communities of Assam and Bhutan.

Key Words: Assam-Bhutan border, Border communities, Livelihood, Formal trade, Border haats, Labour flow.

Role of Agrarian Distress in Poverty Disparities Between St and Non-St in Rural India: Panel Analysis with State Level Information

Snehasis Mondal
Vidyasagar College, Kolkata, India

Abstract: This paper elaborates on the determinants of poverty disparity between STs (Scheduled Tribes) and non-STs. STs are the most deprived social group in rural India. It is argued that the alienation of the ST people from their land and territorial resources contributes to their deprivation. However, empirical evidence on the role of land dispossession, irrigation, changes in occupation structure, etc., on poverty disparities between STs and non-STs is still limited. Using a state-level panel data set from rural India from 1983 to 2017-18, this study tries to capture the effect of land dispossession, irrigation and occupation structure changes on poverty disparities between ST and non-ST communities. This study reveals that poverty disparities between ST and non-ST/SC (SC stands for Scheduled Castes) rose because of occupational choices and disparities in land and education between ST and non-SC/ST.

Key words:Poverty disparity, Scheduled Tribe, Agrarian distress, Displacement, State-level data, Panel regression, Indian social groups.

Analysing Group Disparities in Mean Years of Schooling Across Indian States: Evidence from The NSS 79th Round Survey

Vachaspati Shukla
Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research, Ahmedabad, India.

Abstract: This article analyses group disparities in educational development measured by Mean Years of Schooling (MYS), using the 79th round survey data of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). The analysis reveals significant state-wise variations in MYS and group disparities, suggesting that higher inequality hampers overall improvements in MYS. Additionally, MYS is closely correlated with income levels across Indian states. Therefore, addressing educational divides, beginning with reducing group inequality in MYS, is crucial for bridging economic disparities among states.

Key words: Educational development, Mean years of schooling, Group inequality, Gender inequality, Rural-urban inequality, Regional inequality.

The Rwanda Poultry Innovation Centre: Leveraging The Triple Helix Approach To Drive Frugal Innovations And Build A Poultry Cluster

Meine Pieter Van Dijk and Julius Gatune
Maastricht School of Management, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.

Abstract: A Poultry Innovation Centre initiated by the Rwandan government with a donor country produces frugal innovations using a Triple Helix approach, where research organizations work with both the government and the private sector to develop and implement the innovations. The governance structure involves a public-private partnership, with educational institution as one of the partners. The mechanism is supposed to generate education, research and innovation platforms. Thus, in this regard, the crucial questions are: Did the sectoral innovation centre work? Was the governance structure successful and did it create dynamic education, research and innovation platforms? This research shows that the Innovation Centre was successful; key partners are on board; and a win-win situation was created. The Innovation Centre developed education, research, and innovation platforms. The Triple Helix approach guarantees involvement of all stakeholders, and the Innovation Centre generates frugal innovations and drives local economic development, although improvements are possible and necessary to build a real poultry cluster.

Key words: Innovation centre; Public private partnership; Triple Helix approach; Frugal innovations; Poultry; Rwanda.