Articles by R Radhakrishna

All through his life, G S Bhalla was a strong believer in growth with equity and his contributions to understanding the dynamics of Indian agriculture are relevant even in the changed climate of post-reform India. The failure of land reforms and the sorry plight of small and marginal farmers faced with few alternatives in the non-farm sector was a recurring concern of his. A genial person, he will be fondly remembered by numerous students, research collaborators, and a large circle of friends.

The focus of the paper is on two interrelated but distinct issues of chronic poverty and malnutrition. It analyses the trends in extent, depth and severity of poverty and also malnutrition in rural and urban areas during the last few decades. The incidence of chronic poverty is higher than that of very poor in both rural and urban areas but the former is lower than severe malnutrition. Although the risk of malnutrition decreases with household income (standard of living index), elimination of poverty cannot ensure eradication of malnutrition. The incidence of child malnutrition is particularly high among poor households where mothers have poor nutritional levels, less education and poor access to antenatal care. The lowest incidence of child malnutrition is not in the richest but in the middle income states with progressive social policy. In the 1990s, with faster urban economic growth, urban poverty declined faster, but inter quintile urban inequality and rural-urban inequality worsened. Poverty, chronic poverty and malnutrition, together, got concentrated in a few geographical locations and among specific social groups.

Interdependencies in the food and labour markets are important for the development process. A strategy combining promotion of agricultural growth, productive non-farm employment and high levels of social development would be needed for labour-intensive growth in rural areas. There should also be substantial investment in human resource development for enhancing people's inherent earning capacity. The aim thus would be the generation of self-reliant employment.