This case discusses the strategies of rural development in India pursued since the 1950s. These have been influenced by two distinct schools of thought. The first advocates profound structural changes, particularly those in land relationship, to promote growth with justice, and the second, advocates the need for tackling the immediate problem of increasing agricultural production through technological innovations and supportive measures like extension, provision of credit and efficient input distribution. The discussion shows that while at no time policy-makers relied exclusively on either of these schools, the attention given to each varied from time to time, depending on the food situation in the country.