This volume traces India's developmental strategies and governance systems from state-led to market-driven models over seven decades, highlighting the disconnect between the values enshrined in the Constitution and the governance of policies.

Part I: Development Strategies and Distortions Chapter 1: Navigating Development and Administrative Systems in India: Challenges and Complexities Chapter 2: Understanding Development Policies and Governance in India: An Overview Chapter 3: Strategies for Poverty Alleviation in India: Asset-Based, Wage-Oriented Policies, or Structural Reforms Chapter 4: Infrastructure and Development in India­ an Analysis Chapter 5: Technology, Organization Building and Rural Development: Challenges and Opportunities Chapter 6: India's Agricultural Strategy in the Post-Economic Reform Era Chapter 7: Exploring Community Participation in Water Resource Management: An Analysis of Reforms in a South Indian State Chapter 8: The Grassroots Experience: Participatory Development in a South Indian State Part II: Decentralized Governance and Development of Weaker Sections Chapter 9: Politics and Administration at the District Level in India: A Comprehensive Exploration Chapter 10: Decentralization of Administration and Tackling Pandemics: A South Indian State's Experience Chapter 11: Development Paradigms, Decentralization, and the Status of Marginalized Communities in India: Challenges and Progress Chapter 12: Special Agencies and Poverty-Alleviation Programs: IRDP in a South Indian State: Challenges and Successes Chapter 13: Food Security Policies and Governance in South Indian States: Inclusive Approach Chapter 14: Inclusive policies for Development of Other Backward Classes in a South Indian State: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities