ABOUT THE BOOK

The first few chapters of the book are devoted to a historical study of the development and growth of the sickness insurance schemes in India and Britain besides a general discussion of the concepts of social security and social insurance and the role of social security in the economic development of a country. In course of that discussion (chapter 1), the conclusion has been drawn that social security is the most powerful instrument for the rapid economic development of a country and that developing countries like India must give the highest priority to the provision for social security for the common man if they want their plans for economic development to succeed and produce some tangible results. The second part of the book deals with the existing sickness insurance schemes in the two countries, their working and the various problems-administrative, financial, medical and economic- connected with their operation. A comprehensive study of this nature has not perhaps been attempted so far by any other author, either in India or elsewhere and hence it is hoped that it will fill in a serious gap in the literature on social security for these two countries and be treated as an important contribution in that field.