'Planning and the Poor' या ग्रंथाचे लेखक ---- आहेत.

The correct answer is Option C (Dr. B.S. Minhas).

Key Points:
• The celebrated book 'Planning and the Poor' (published in 1974) was authored by renowned Indian economist Dr. B. S. Minhas (Bagicha Singh Minhas).
• Dr. Minhas served as a member of the Planning Commission of India and contributed pioneer research on poverty estimation, rural land distribution, and economic planning.
• In his book, he critically examined how centralized Indian planning often bypassed the poorest segments and strongly advocated for targeted employment and asset creation for small/marginal farmers.
• Notable economic treatises by the other authors for competitive preparation:
• Dr. V. M. Dandekar & Dr. Nilakantha Rath: 'Poverty in India' (1971)
• Dr. Amartya Sen: 'Poverty and Famines' (1981), 'Development as Freedom' (1999)
• Dr. P. C. Mahalanobis: Architect of the Second Plan and founder of the Indian Statistical Institute.
• Key Takeaway: The influential book 'Planning and the Poor' was written by Dr. B. S. Minhas in 1974.