Preface: Indian economy recorded a fairly
high GDP growth rate of 7.2 percent during 1998-2008. Notwithstanding the
relatively high growth rate, over 25 crore rural population (45 million
households) in the country remain locked in poverty. Contrary to the earlier
estimates of rural poverty, the Tendulkar Committee reported a rural poverty
ratio of about 42 percent. While the number of rural people living on less