Development Schemes and the Hill District: Studying State–Society Relationship in Manipur

Abstract

This article emphasizes that in thinking about the state–society relationship in the hills of Manipur, we need to refocus our attention on how development schemes shape the way the villagers perceive and engage with the state. This calls for a fresh enquiry into state institutions such as Village Authority, Autonomous District Councils and District Rural Development Agency within the understanding of decentralization. The article looks into the complex interplay of the institutions of the state and explores the different equations of power within them, giving rise to new elites. It shows how development schemes are distributed and implemented in the villages, the difficulties in getting access to those schemes, and the means people employ to access them. Two flagship development schemes—Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana—are taken up to analyse the state–society relationship in this context.