Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/480

 A STUDY IN VILLAGE ECONOMICS PsoFssos V. G. KALE, .A. FEBGUSN COLLEGE POONA For several years past, the Government of India has been frequently urged to make a special inquiry into a few typical villages in order to ascertain whether and to what extent improvement has sen place in the material and moral condition of the rural population. The large parts of last and the severe famines which occurred over the country towards the close of he beginning of this century, seemed to emphasise the need of such authoritative investigation and the refusal of Government o comply with the request in this respect, strengthened the impression in the popular mind that it was afraid to face an open enquiry lest it should dispose a state of things which would not be very creditable o the progressive character .What lent further strength 0 that an enquiry had, years of the administration. this belief was the fact made by the Government of India into of several districts and the published though a demand before, been the economic condition reports had never been had been persistently made that the information collec- ted should be communicated to the public. The con- troveray over the Indian system of land revenue