Ashok Pankaj

Social Sector Development in North-East India Ashok Pankaj

Social Sector Development in North-east India is the first comprehensive book that makes a strong case for people-centric social sector development of North-east India. This book argues that human capital formation through social sector development should be the strategic goal of development of this region, as the prospect for service sector development is much higher compared to that of the primary and secondary sectors. This needs a course correction in the erstwhile approaches of development, which has been driven by political and strategic considerations such as national security and the territorial integrity of India. This book advances an argument for a shift in approach of development policy from top-down, infrastructure-focused to bottom-up, people-centric and social sector development-focused. It also critiques the mainstream understanding of North-east India that treats it as a geographical entity and a monolithic socio-cultural society, ignoring its rich ethnic diversities, cultural pluralities and regional variations.