According to 2011 Census, rural population formed 68.8 percent of the total population of India. With prospect of industrialisation and the consequent migration of rural population to urban areas, the percentage share of rural population in total population is expected to decline to 60 percent by 2030. Nevertheless, in the present scenario, the bulk of Indias population lives in rural areas. Rural development implies both the economic betterment of people as well as greater social transformation. Increased participation of people in the rural development process, decentralisation of planning, better enforcement of land reforms and greater access to credit and inputs are the pre-requisites in providing rural people with better prospects for improved quality of life. Improvements in housing, transport and communication, energy supply, health and education, water supply, and sanitation coupled with attitudinal changes are key elements of rural transformation. Alleviation of rural poverty has been one of the primary objectives of planned development in India.

Ever since the inception of planning, the policies and the programmes have been designed and redesigned with this aim. Poverty in India is a chronic and multi-dimensional phenomenon. There is geography of poverty -- poverty being concentrated mostly in the rural areas. There is sociology of poverty -- certain social groups suffer from poverty the most. There are identifiable occupational features of the poor -- they are concentrated in agriculture as landless labourers and artisans in rural areas. Progressive reduction of unemployment has been one of the principal objectives of economic planning in India. Hence, Indias poverty alleviation strategy has leaned towards wage employment programmes. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 was notified on 7 September 2005.

The Act came into force on 2 February 2006 when 200 selected districts of the country were brought under its purview (Phase I, 2006-07). MGNREGA was extended to additional 130 districts in Phase II during 2007-08. The remaining rural areas were notified with effect from April 1, 2008. The significance of MGNREGA lies in the fact that it creates a right-based framework for wage employment programmes and makes the Government legally bound to provide employment to those who seek it. In this way the legislation goes beyond providing a social safety net, and towards guaranteeing the right to employment. National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) -- earlier known as Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) -- aims to reduce poverty by enabling the poor households to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in appreciable improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis, through building strong grassroots institutions of the poor. The present work, consisting of 25 chapters, provides a comprehensive account of policies and programmes for transformation of rural India. It explains the key reform measures undertaken for raising the standard of living of the rural population.