Indian Himalayan Economies

This book explores the interconnected challenges of economic development, social progress, and environmental protection in India’s mountainous regions. While these regions have recorded steady growth, rising per capita incomes, and improvements in education, their economies continue to face deep structural constraints, including persistent inequalities, limited employment generation, distress-driven migration, gaps in access to healthcare, and growing ecological stress. Using a mountain development framework that integrates socio-economic advancement with environmental sustainability, the book critically explores the tensions between growth and long-term sustainable development. A distinctive strength of the volume is its comprehensive coverage of all Indian Himalayan states, offering an integrated perspective that has not been attempted in a single study before. It will serve as a valuable resource for students, researchers, and practitioners engaged in sustainable development, economics, disaster management, education, minority studies, and South Asian studies. This is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand mountain economies, and its insights are equally relevant for similar mountainous regions across the world.

Balwant Singh Mehta is Professor at the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi. His research interests include employment, inequality, poverty, child welfare, education, and health. He has authored 10 books and over 100 journal articles. His recent books include Poverty in India Using a Machine Learning Approach (2024) and Future of Work: Opportunities and Challenges (2025).

Ishwar Chandra Awasthi is Professor at Institute for Human Development, New Delhi. His research focuses on labour, employment, livelihoods, and development evaluation. He has published over six dozen papers. Key books include Livelihood Diversities in Mountain Economy (2012) and Women and Labour Market Dynamics (2019).