Despite India ’s recent high economic growth rate, around 350 million out of its more than one billion strong population is still living below one dollar a day. Seventy-five percent (262 million) of India ’s poor are living in rural areas, primarily dependent on agriculture and natural resources for their subsistence. Acknowledging the rural distress, the Indian Government has declared the development of rural areas a top national priority (National Common Minimum Programme of the GoI, 2004).1 The most critical elements here are the access to and equitable management of local resources in a viable and sustainable way.
Although there are several instances of increased policy direction towards greater investment for sustainable management of natural resources from the state and private channels, the policy governing sustainable management for rural livelihoods has not been well defined. Hence, it is imperative that a clearly defined NRM sector policy is evolved to give a focused and coordinated attention for management of natural resources for enhanced livelihood for the rural people on a sustainable basis.
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