Gandhi's critique Of industrialisation is only 'good in parts'. Some have interpreted his views essentially as a plea for the use of labourintensive, rather than capital-intensive, techniques in industrial and agricultural production. This is a legitimate interpretation of one aspect Of his thought and it represents a valuable insight which continues to have relevance for development economics. However, Gandhi was also making a much more radical claim: he was arguing in favour of handicraft or cottage industry as against modern manufacturing industry based on the factory. industrialisation is the only long- run solution to mass poverty, Ranade had pointed to the dangers of i.ustication' and the advantages of a well-balanced economic structure that would not be so utterly dependent on agriculture. Gandhi's remedy for rustication was his Constructive Programme, and while he, too, sought to reduce the degree to which people had to depend on agricultural pursuits for a livelihood, he wanted to do so by developing village industries.

Gandhi was not in favour of large scale industrialisation, as it was responsible for many socio­economic evils. He believed that large scale use of machinery led to drudgery and monotony. He was in favour of decentralised economy.

In such an economy, exploitation of labour would be nil. His belief