The book speaks about the impact of development planning, particularly the poverty alleviation programmes on a Dalit community living in two villages; one on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Orissa, and the other one away from this city. Apart from highlighting a sound theoretical backdrop including the occupational basis of the caste system, the traditional social status of the Dalits through ages, social movement taken place during different periods of time before independence, provision of 'Protective Discrimination' and constitutional safeguards after independence etc., it focuses the changes on occupation, income, expenditure, indebtedness, asset acquisition, food habit and dietary pattern etc. Moreover, it also describes the political participation and awareness, family planning, health status and treatment of diseases, ritual belief pattern, etc. Thus, in a nutshell the work highlights the tradition, development process and the changes that have taken place among a Dalit community.
The book will be of immense help to the researchers, academicians, development action planners, administrators, NGO activists, social workers and all those who are interested in development studies, particularly among the disadvantaged people of Indian communities.