Bureaucracy and The New Agricultural Strategy

In any developing country the ubiquitous role of the bureaucracy in policy implementation invites comment. Dr. Mathur has presented a penetrating analysis of the role of the bureaucracy in the context of agricultural development in India. In the first part of this brief study he considers the national administrative framework and the national level policies towards rural development. The second part is devoted to the presentation of empirical data derived from a micro-level evaluation of the Green Revolution in Karnal District in Haryana in north-west India. A synthesis is attempted at the end to reveal that the role of the bureaucracy is wedded, as it were, to the groups that propel a particular type of development. Put in general terms, policies and their implementation depend ultimately upon the dynamic interaction of the social and political processes involved. It is unrealistic to assume that one component alone —the bureaucracy —is responsible for the output in development. Change can be wrought only when the policies and framework take cognizance of the other components which determine the implementation processes. This is an important contribution both to public administration as well as rural development