The voices from the small and marginal women farmers captured in a village survey in the tribal-dominated Dungarpur district of Rajasthan show that the populace even in a remote and backward area stands ready to embrace a self-help based approach in favour of alternatives that smack of charity. But such innate dynamism at the grassroots is seldom noticed or nurtured. This stakeholder group capable of leading the transformation process is clubbed into an omnibus category of ‘the poor’ and slotted for a bewildering array of social welfare measures which either do not reach or end up creating a dependency syndrome. This is the root cause of endemic backwardness in as many as 250 districts in the country.

The goal of universal social security and safety net underlying the recent policy initiatives is unquestionable to most. However, there is considerable difference of opinion with regard to the strategies for realising such rights. By their very nature, these rights require local empowerment and local solutions. Thus, the book argues for reviving and resurrecting a genuine initiative in the area of decentralisation and building the blocks of a local livelihood security framework.

The evidence emerging from this modest survey in Dungarpur has special significance in the context of the current debate on strategies for poverty alleviation, social security and growth in face of a fast deteriorating international economic environment, unabated domestic inflation, rising fiscal deficit and a sharp dip in the overall growth rates.

Harsh Singh has a rich cross-institutional background. He served in the Indian Economic Service for a decade and in UNDP India (1992 to 2009) as Assistant Resident Representative and Programme Advisor. He now heads the consultancy, Market Solutions for Inclusion.

He has authored the books, Creating Vibrant Public-Private-Panchayat Partnership and Structural Innovation for Inclusive Development in Bihar: The Navodaya Shahar Model, both published by the Academic Foundation. 

Vinayak Vishnu Damle, Senior Adviser (Water Management), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is a Civil Engineering graduate from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. He has been working on the issue of rural sustainable water management for over 15 years. He leads the CII Dungarpur Initiative, a pilot model for the development of backward districts. 

Devilal Vyas is the Executive Director of the voluntary organisation Jan Shiksha Evam Vikas Sangathan (also known as People's Education and Development Organisation—PEDO). He has guided and supported the Government of Rajasthan, UNDP and various NGOs in their pro-poor policy and programme work.

Ramila Vyas is a co-founder of PEDO. She leads PEDO's activities in the areas of pro-poor livelihoods, women's empowerment and capacity building of PRI representatives.

Vishnu Bhagwat Khedkar is a Post Graduate in Agricultural Engineering and has worked for around a decade in the field of rural development with special focus on NRM-based livelihood. He was in-charge of the Dungarpur-based CII team that piloted the Public-Private-Community Partnership pilot in the district. He has also worked as a Co-Project Investigator for the Farmers Participatory Action Research Programme (FPARP) for demonstrating micro-irrigation techniques and efficient management of water resources for enhanced agricultural productivity.