ABSTRACT
Through an example of the ‘NRI Cell’ in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, this chapter shows how the region’s ‘transnational citizens’ have built an alliance with the local state. These transnational engagements have foregrounded NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) as development ‘partners’ based on their ‘global expertise’ and philanthropic resources and pre-existing relations of trust emanating from shared regional, political and caste affiliations. However, this alliance was contingent upon the prevailing political dynamics within Andhra Pradesh state in general and Guntur district in particular. Because of the provisional nature of this interaction, NRI involvement in rural development became a contested idea and practice in the region.
