Agricultural Resources Information System (AgRIS): An e ...

China have been both a major engine of economic growth and a
potent force for rural poverty reduction during 1980s and 1990s.
1.7 Recent studies [(Shenggen Fan, Peter Hazell, and Sukhadeo
Thorat, 2000) 7 and (Shenggen Fan, Linxiu Zhang, and Xiaobo
Zhang, 2000) 8 ] show that developing countries can significantly
reduce rural poverty, stimulate agricultural growth, and move
toward food security if they recognize that public investments
are indispensable tools for achieving these ends and if they make
the right investments (Table-1 and Table-2). In areas where
investments in agricultural infrastructure have lagged, such as
State of Bihar, State of Orissa, State of Assam and State of
Madhya Pradesh, rates of growth in agricultural productivity
and poverty reduction also lagged (Roy and Pal, 2001) 9 . Eastern
Region (ER) of India comprises of 130 districts covering States
of Orissa, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar
Pradesh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Most parts of the
6
Public Works projects often combine the provision of infrastructure with a safety net for the poor in the form
of employment provision.
7
Shenggen Fan, Peter Hazell, and Sukhadeo Thorat (2000): “Government Spending, Growth and Poverty in Rural
India”, American Journal of Agricultural Economics 82 (No.4, 2000): 1038-1051)
8
Shenggen Fan, Linxiu Zhang, and Xiaobo Zhang (2002): “Growth, Inequality, and Poverty in Rural China: The Role
of Public Investments”, IFPRI Research Report 125, Washington D.C
9
Roy, B. C. and Suresh Pal (2001) : Incremental Capital-Output Ratio in Indian Agriculture,
Agricultural Economics Research Review, 14(1):34-46
8