Poverty and Deprivation: Changing Contours traces the journey of poverty estimation and eradication in India since Independence. It brings together important contributions from eminent experts focussing on distinct characteristics of rural and urban poverty, multiple dimensions of poverty and deprivation, and policy interventions made by the Indian state to reduce them. It also highlights increasing inequality in assets and access to civic amenities and persistence of disparities across regions and social groups through empirically grounded analytical chapters. The chapters included in the book present assessments of crucial poverty alleviation programmes and suggestions for better performance in outcomes. The editor’s introductions make analytical comments on the impact of economic growth on poverty reduction and the controversy surrounding it and register concern that the period of high growth did not improve human capital development. In this context, it also puts in perspective the need for compatibility of macro-economic fundamentals with social policy.

The series ‘Social Change in Contemporary India’ brings together key texts published in the prestigious journal Social Change, from 1971 till present times. These writings, most of which are considered canonical, address important issues in health, education, poverty and agriculture, with special focus on the disadvantaged groups. The essays will help readers identify key points in the history of policymaking in India and major discourses and debates and their impact.