Adopting and ecological perspective, this book is a study of public policy on drought management in India. The authors argue that policy-makers have assumed drought to be a consequence of exclusively natural factors and, because of this, the planning process has been short-sighted and concerned with drought mitigation through relief, rather than with longer-term measures of drought-proofing. The book details the administrative and financial arrangements for drought mitigation in India and highlights the politics of policy-making, showing how the sanctioning of relief expenditure is often politically motivated.

Introduction Drought in the Long-Term Perspective

Evolution of Policy Financing of Relief Expenditure and Related Administrative Procedures Rajasthan

Drought Proofing, Drought Relief and Political Concerns of Electoral Candidates Participation and Representation in Parliament Perspectives on Drought in Parliament Concluding Remarks