India is a large country with significant social, cultural and ecological diversity reflected in the realities of its rural society and developmental processes. The economic policies and developmental initiatives since independence, pursued largely from a common national perspective, have helped in the political and economic integration of various states and regions. Inter-regional differences nevertheless persist and the disparities have significantly changed in the last six decades. Regions have transformed and have become more complex, with disparities now visible even at a sub-regional level.

This Report explores certain facets of rural transformations in their regional contexts. It brings together existing research by eminent scholars who have done extensive work on regional disparities on the following themes:

• Natural resource endowments and groundwater irrigation

• Backwardness within regions and districts

• Market integration and development of commodity markets

• Non-farm employment

• Inclusion of dalits and adivasis in the business economy

• Social movements and regions

The Report goes beyond studying regional disparities and constructs regional typologies in order to formulate policy. This is because it has become clear that ‘one-size-fits-all’ policies do not work. The emergence of new regions requires appropriate policy changes to accommodate diverse needs and aspirations.

The Report also provides a comprehensive update on the state of rural development based on various new data available in the public domain since the release of the previous India Rural Development Reportin2013.

It will continue to be an invaluable resource for policy-makers at the Centre and in the states, local bodies and corporates engaged with the rural sector. Students, scholars and researchers too will find it immensely useful.