Synopsis The spectre of drought, which results in complete or partial failure of crops, haunts most of the states in India. And yet not much information is available on areas prone to drought and their development potential. The present book is an attempt to fill this gap. The book gives an account of the profile of the drought prone areas of three selected states and reviews their performance with respect to socio-economic development. It indicates the role that drought, irrigation and other factors play in inhibiting or promoting the growth of drought prone areas. It also analyses the role of drought relief and other measure in mitigating the adverse impact of drought. Finally the book explores the potential for the future development of drought prone areas and gives suggestion for accelerating the same. The book will be found highly useful by all concerned, specially by planners, policy makers and administrators in the areas of agriculture, irrigation, rural development and scarcity management on the one hand and researchers and academicians interested in the subject on the other.