The dichotomy India faces today, having one of the widest networks of social programs across all sectors - healthcare, agriculture, nutrition, education, and yet Being continually confronted with the worst and lowest human development indices has formed a nagging and worrying thought that perhaps motivated the author, Sumita Dawra, to write “Poor but lively in Karimnagar”. Karimnagar is a district in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh and is also ranked 250 in the list of 'Most Backward Districts of India'. What makes the poor stay poor, how there are gaps in the government's development programs and ways to improve it forms the central essence of the book. Why is the theme important to us as administrators? Given that massive budgetary allocations are earmarked every year for social sector programs and India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, there is hardly any translation of such prosperity and government efforts in visible development. Through this book, the author seeks alternative governance paradigms for better outcomes, in the form of effective decentralization, empowerment of communities and self-help groups, and competitive development. Book Analysis - The book is aptly titled as it subtly and beautifully brings out that even though India ranks abysmally in terms of social indicators, there is still hope for a better future, which is in our hands. The book is encouraging and attempts to instill passion and a positive attitude in our minds with a resonant undercurrent of passion, fearlessness and determination to work within the system, innovate and build social capital . It encourages the extrapolation of the Karimnagar experience to other......paper circles......in different sectors. She also mentioned touching personal experiences such as an essay written by her child about the difference she felt while studying in an Indian school and a British school and her thoughts on the time when a major epidemic hit her district, victimizing many poor and ignorant villagers just as she was hospitalized with access to the best doctors. The book is an honest introspection and a frank admission of the helplessness of IAS officers in certain cases, where all one can do is shoot arrows in the dark, learn, try and to relearn. . What makes this book an invaluable and inspiring read is the underlying current: undying hope, courage and faith, straight from the heart. About the Author: Sumita Dawra is a 1991 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. She currently heads the economic wing of the Indian Embassy in Beijing, China..