NEP and Trade Union Response

and the Sen's poverty index. However while ihese trends were positive and significant in Period I (1957-58 to 1968-69) they were negative and significant during Period II (1969-70 to 1986-87). This phenomenon was true of trends for most states as well, though in three or four states negative trends were reported in both periods. Further, the rate of decline in rural poverty during the latter period was much higher than the rate of increase in rural poverty in the preceding period for all-India and most states. Our study observes a strong negative link between agricultural growth and the incidence of rural poverty in India while price was positively (and significantly too in a number of cases) correlated with rural poverty. These findings are in conformity with those of Ahluwalia earlier and more recently of Dharm Narain. Further our study shows that while access to subsidised food through the public distribution system is negatively correlated with rural poverty, rural population pressure on agricultural lands and inequality in rural consumption were positively correlated with rural poverty. The level of infrastructure development too was negatively correlated with the incidence of rural poverty.