Fulfillment of basic needs has rather sidetracked in the face of breath-taking and competitive modernisation process. The primary rural sector for which the conception of basic needs becomes very appropriate, when caught in the process of development, is unable to give due priority to its different sectors owing to constraints ranging from cyclical to management of resources. As such rural industrialisation, hitherto an appendage of agriculture or industry is faced with not only crises in speedy growth but also being lost in importance as a basic need. This book attempts to view the differing prospects of rural industrialisation in a coastal region. The performance of industry, service and business units, evaluation of female participation in rural industrialisation and different artisanal units are attempted. Also, industries like tile manufacturing and cashew processing are considered as to their impact on the particular (rural) environment. The emerging role of bidi-industry is assessed taking into account the contribution of the cooperative sector. In providing a modest initiation to reemphasize the industrial potentiality of backward areas, this book would serve the interests of policy planners, researchers and laymen alike