Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India

PGDM DS, Batch: 2015-2017 (Trimester: 1)

End-Term Exam: Political Economy of Development
Max. Time: 2 Hours
Date: .09.2015
Faculty: Dr. Manoj Mishra & Dr. Dinesh Jain

Max. Marks: 60 marks

Section A & B have to done in separate copies.

Section B (Duration: 1 hour)
Any three (10 marks each)

1. P Sainath in his book Everybody loves a good drought: Stories from Indias Poorest Districts
has highlighted poverty as combination of interoperating, continuous processes and not as
events. Based on your understanding of development, briefly comment on the performance of
existing poverty alleviation (or reduction) programmes of India, and suggest some policy
measures to address poverty at the grassroots.
2. The National Food Security Act, 2013 (also Right to Food Act) is an Act of the Parliament of
India which aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two thirds of India's 1.2
billion people. Briefly define food security and comment on the issues and challenges that may
arise in implementation and usefulness of National Food Security Act, 2013.
3. In 2004, the incumbent NDA alliance government (Atal Bihari Vajpayee Govt.) launched a
campaign called India Shining to highlight its success in stimulating economic growth it
failed. Based on your understanding of political economy of development, suggest and
elaborate reasons that might have caused that failure.
4. Subsidies was crafted in early 1960 as a policy instrument to cater to the needs of
economically weaker sections of society but now a large number of researchers and
practitioners consider this as an economic burden. Some consider it as necessary evil. Briefly
comment on the above statements, and suggest policy measures and instruments to deal with
the above issue.
5. As you know, India has adopted various measures to bring in equity and inclusiveness for
sustainable development. Briefly state reasons for the existing inequality and uneven
development. Also, suggest measures to address the challenge of economic inequality and
alienation of certain sections of society.
6. In 2002, The Government of India allowed the production of three genetically modified Bt.

cotton hybrids for three years. This followed the controversial unauthorized release and
cultivation of Bt. cotton in some areas (Gujarat and Maharashtra) in 2001. Presently, India is
second largest producer of Cotton (a non-food crop) behind China and most of this produced
cotton is BT cotton. In contrast a large number of cases of farmer suicides have been reported
in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra State and Telangana region of undivided Andhra Pradesh
(now state of Telengana). In the above light, do you feel that India should adopt transgenic or
genetically modified food crops like BT Brinjal/BT Rice? What could be the positives,
negatives, opportunities and challenges in this regard? Briefly discuss.