Sainath's book, Everybody Loves a Good Drought, will be available in Australia shortly. Below are extracts from the last chapter, an essay on Poverty, development and the press. The book consists of a series of stories from India's poorest districts.
Development is the strategy of evasion.
When you can't give people land reform, give them hybrid cows. When you can't send the children to school, try non-formal education. When you can't provide basic health to people, talk of health insurance. Not to worry. Just redefine the words 'employment opportunities'.