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Book Review
SOCIAL SECTOR
COMMUNICATION IN INDIA
by Jaishri
Jethwaney, SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi-11044, 2016, Pages
268, Rs. 850.
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by Prof. C K Sardana, Bhopal
Sociologists often refer to
the social sector as the third sector, public and private being the other two.
Social sector has emerged at a galloping speed with a burgeoning human capital
of more than 130 crores. Despite massive expenditure on Social Sector, India
has been performing extremely poor on various development indicators when
compared with other developing nations including some Sub-Saharan countries. India
languishes at the bottom half of the Human Development Index (HDI), wedged
among underdeveloped countries such as Namibia, Sao-Tome, Principe and Solomon
Islands. The countries endowed with less natural resources and lower calibre
human capital have performed better due perhaps to responsive and effective
governance.
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| The reviewer - Prof C K Sardana |
Let me quickly underline the
fact that everything has not gone haywire. There are sectors where we have done
extremely well -- much ahead of even the advanced countries. We have had three
main revolutions -- Green Revolution, IT Revolution and Space Revolution. Today, Indian engineers, doctors, scientists,
bankers, academics and specialists in other fields occupy top positions in the
Government and other organizations in even advanced countries like USA.
Juxtaposed with the above is
the fact that the country continues to have the largest mass of illiterate
people and malnourished children, poorest public health service, dirtiest
rivers in the world, billions of people
clamouring for food, jobs, safety and security, largest number of suicides by
farmers, labourers, students, oppressed women and so on.
SOCIAL SECTOR COMMUNICATION
IN INDIA by Jethwaney seeks to address some of the key issues in social sector
communication combining concepts and practices with hands-on skills. It aims at
providing an understanding of various tools and strategies required in this
communication. An important endeavour of this communication is to gauge, from
time to time, peoples' mind set, expectations, environment around and then
effect such changes in communication as will prompt policy-makers to give up
arm chair approach and people at large to whole-heartedly come forward and play
their role in making development policies a success.
The book has seven chapters
beginning with a comprehensive overview of the social sector in India followed
by social marketing, CSR, advocacy, communication and social mobilization,
grassroots communication, case studies and hands-on skills in writing for and
through New Media. While there is a passing reference to PM's Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan, very little space has been given to Government's initiatives like Digital India, Skill Development, Fight
against corruption, empowerment of women etc. Price of Rs. 850 for a 268-page book is high.
Notwithstanding the above,
the book is rich in information and data, its narration and overall approach.
It should be extremely useful to policy-makers, NGOs, Government Departments,
Funding Agencies, Monitoring bodies and, above all, to students of development
communication and media. (casardana@gmail.com)
