India's policies and programmes designed to address problems of drought prone areas represent a "Bureaucratic ethos" and a "development regime". Hinged on naturalistic and technocratic approaches to the definition and management of drought conditions, these programmes do not take into consideration the role of economic and social factors in the production and reproduction of drought conditions. Despite two decades of formulation and implementation the limitations of these programmes and policies have led to the denouement of conditions which have further exacerbated the degradation of these areas and the immeseration of people. Drought policies must shift from an excessive reliance on naturalistic indicators and take into consideration the ecological history and political economy of different regions. Policies to revive and sustain these regions must be grounded in the recognition of the ecological specificities of different regions and in enabling people to sustain their livelihoods.