Rajasthan

The authors examine the poverty situation in 15 major states across four distinct dimensions of headcount ratio, size of the poor population, depth and severity for the rural, the urban and the total population. The poverty situation, they find, worsened over the six-year period 1993-94 to 1999-2000 in Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. In the remaining 12 states there was a distinct improvement in terms of the most visible indicator, namely, the absolute size of the poor population. Overall, despite diversity across poverty indicators and across states, the overwhelming impression is one of greater improvement in the poverty situation in the 1990s than in the previous 10�½-year period.

A recent field study in two north Indian districts belies certain long-standing beliefs concerning migration of rural artisans to urban areas. As observed over a certain period, there has been little incidence of such migration. While this may assist the preservation of traditional craftsmanship, state and civil society alike need to develop fresh perspectives to nurture and hone rural talent.

Enclaves of Ancient Society Greener Pastures: Politics, Markets and Community among a Migrant Pastoral People by Arun Agarwal; Oxford University Press, New Delhi, pp I-XVII and 1-219, Rs 495.