58 SOCIAL SCIENTIST of responsibility rather than the political role is therefore more relevant as a determinant of individual and collective performance. For this reason the use of the term "role responsibility" is preferred to "political responsibility.^ Need Perception Table I presents the findings on three questions: (1) Problems: What are the most important problems facing the people today? (2) Programmes Worked'. What programmes or activities of public interest have you worked on? (3) Programmes to be introduced: Considering the needs of the people and the conditions as they are, what programmes old or new, would you like to implement if you had a free hand in the matter? Common response categories were developed for the three questions. The questions made it possible to relate the leaders' perception of the people's needs with what they have themselves done and would like to do if they had freedom of choice. 'Responsible' leaders should have a realistic perception of the people's needs and problems and their actions should be related to them. The answers from the 42 respondents fall under five heads: 1 General 2 Specific reference to problems other than agriculture 3 Specific reference to agricultural problems and needs 4 Problems referring to institutional and administrative reforms 5 Problems relating to inter-group relations, feuds and factions, the role of leadership and the like. In the category of general answers, leaders mentioned the poverty of the people and the necessity of bringing about improvements. Related to this were basic necessities of life such as food, housing, clothing and so on. Twenty per cent from all the categories of leaders referred to this type of problem. Among non-agricultural problems, references were made to high prices and scarcity, the need to provide adequate facilities for the distribution of essential commodities, removal of illiteracy and educational development. Other problems touched on were unemployment, population control, transport and communication facilities, village sanitation including health, and economic disparities. Only about 13 per cent of the leaders mentioned one or the other of the non-agricultural problems. Problems relating to food and agricultural production were topmost on the minds of the largest percentage of the sample. Irrigation facilities were followed by the need to increase agricultural production, better supply of seeds, fertilizers and implements and the need for good animals. The importance given to agricultural problems is to be expected in a population in which about 80 per cent arc agriculturists. Altogether 35 per cent leaders referred to this problem. Problems relating to institutional and administrative reforms were of three kinds: the need was stressed for reforms in terms of making