Chapter - 15

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

RURAL DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT AND MEANING

A vast majority of people in the world live in rural area and as such, rural development assumes global importance. In the Asian context ,development primarily means rural development ,since most of the people live in rural communities. Among the Asian countries ,India is primarily a rural country with 70 percent of the total population still living in villages. Rural people wield overwhelming influence on social, economic and political activities in India .thus in the Indian context development primarily means rural development only.

Important elements identified in ANKERS definition

There

should be full utilization of the available physical and human resource in the rural areas with functional linkage. Development of agriculture and allied activities is necessary. There should be again the development of rural industries. It should aim at higher income and better living conditions of rural population and

World banks definition consists three important elements Rural

development should be viewed as a process of raising the capacity of the rural people to control their environment i.e. social, economic, cultural and political. Rural development as a process should continuously raise the capacity of the rural people to influence their total environment ,enabling them to become initiators and controllers of change in their environment rather than being merely the passive objects of external manipulation and control.

World banks definition consists three important elements 3.rural development must result in a wider distribution of benefit accruing from technical development and the participation of weaker section of the rural population in the process of development. MICHAEL TODARO1. Improvements in levels of living, including employment, education, health,and nutrition housing and a variety of social services.

MICHAEL TODARO2.decreasing inequality in the distribution of rural incomes and in rural urban balances in incomes and economic opportunities. 3.increasing the capacity of the rural sector to sustain and accelerate the pace of these improvements.

Integrated rural development

R.krishnaswamy

rightly views that rural development involves several categories of integration i.e. spatial integration. Integration of economic development with social development ,integration of total area approach and target group approach. Integration of credit with technical services ,integration of human resource development with manpower needs by dovetailing education and training programme with anticipated manpower needs.

Integrated rural development

Rural

development has assumed a considerable significance throughout the planning era. The early development schemes such as community development programmes, intensive agriculture district programme ,intensive agriculture area programme, drought prone area programme,command area development program all have aimed at rural development. Rural development therefore is now rightly viewed as a strategy designed to improve the socio economic conditions of the rural poor.

Important features of rural economy and rural society

Rural areas are described as underdeveloped or backward as per captia real income is low in rural areas as compared to that in urban areas. The Indian planning commission defined underdeveloped as which is characterized by the co-existence, in greater or or lesser degree of unutilized and underutilized manpower on the one hand and the of unexploited natural resources on the other. Owing to inadequate capital resources and lack of skill and technology, different resources in the rural areas remain unutilized or underutilized leading to backwardness of rural development.

Important features of rural economy and rural society

The main features of rural sector or rural economy in India are Greater dependence on agriculture. Large scale underdevelopment and unemployment. Poor income and indebtness. Capital deficiency.

Important features of rural economy and rural society

The main features of rural sector or rural economy in India are Low level of technology and poor extension facilities. Low level of productivity. Lack of infrastructure. Lack of basic amenities of life. Averse to population limitation. Social and cultural factors.

Scope of rural development

Developing

social consciousness. Collective decision making and collective action. Dedicated village leadership. Use of science. Development of agriculture and allied sectors. Provision of subsidiary. Development of cottage and village industries.

Interdependence between rural and urban sectors

Rural development cannot be planned and achieved in isolation ,for the overall development of India both rural and urban development become necessary. Rural development is a comprehensive programme of activities that include agriculture growth, development of village industries ,development of housing for the poor, planning for public health, family planning, and child care, and health care for livestock, education, like provision of adult education including functional literacy, development of rural transport and communication. The interdependence between rural and urban sectors clearly shows the development of both is necessary for mutual good and overall development of the country.

Important strategies of rural development

Small farmers development agency. Marginal farmers and agricultural labor

development agency. Cash scheme for rural development. Drought prone area programme (DPAP). Development of tribal areas. Minimum need programme. Development of desert area programme (DDA). Village development programme. Training of rural youth for self employment.

Important strategies of rural development

national rural development programme. (NRDP). Rural landless employment gurantee programme. Development of women and children. Council for advancement of peoples action and rural technology. Jawahar rojgar yozna. Scheme for rural artisian. Employment insurance scheme. National social asistance programme. Rural group life insurance scheme. Jawahar gram samridhi yojana.

Rural water supply and sanitation

Water supply and sanitation is a critical determinant of public health outcomes, particularly in low and lower middle income countries. The government of India supplements the drinking water supply scheme of the states by providing financial asistance under the accelerated rural water supply programme (ARWSP). The entire programme (ARWSP) was given a mission approach when the technology mission on drinking water management, called the national drinking water mission (NDWM) was introduced in 1986 and now renamed as rajiv Gandhi national drinking water mission.

Rural water supply and sanitation

The prime objectives of the mission are To ensure coverage f all rural habitations, especially to reach the unreached with an access to safe drinking water. To ensure sustainibility of the system and sources. and To tackle the water quality problems in the affected habitations.

Rural developments scope

Women

and child development. Scheduled castes development. Scheduled tribes development. Minorities development. Welfare and development of persons with disabilities. Social defence sector. Challenges and outlook.

Rural development :a critical analysis

Despite

making a spectacular progress in various fields, India faces poverty, unemployment, ignorance and socio-economic inequality. New economic forces are bringing with them new opportunities for development and for contributing to nation building . More than 70 percent of our people live in villages and 80 percent of our poor live in rural population.

Rural development :a critical analysis

poverty ,hunger and health care represent some of the major challenges before rural India. Acute poverty ,indebt ness, and illiteracy are among the factors that have combined to compel many farmers to take their own lives. Addressing unemployment in the rural area is crucial to improving the economic conditions of the people. No one should be permitted to misuse the resources or benefit from the distress of the rural poor.