Significance of Gandhian Contemplation about Self-sufficient Village Economy of India after Economic Reform

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to characterize the rural development approach evolved in Gandhian Philosophy and explained its significance in this globalize era. The series of ideas stemming from Gandhi have provided the theoretical ground for hundreds of thousands of grass-root development activities all over the world. There is a lot of argument regarding the applicability of the Gandhian thought in village development across the world. The study concluded that the Gandhian model would be much reliable to reduce the gap between the well-offs and have-nots, instead of replicating the Western models of economic development, which lead to drastic inequalities and too much capital concentration in a few hands. Gandhiji's ideas are more relevant today than ever before, especially his philosophy of self-reliance and decentralization.