By Ms. D.
Sancley
LECTURE 4
PRE-INDEPENDENCE EXTENSION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMMES
About 65 percent population of the country is living in the
economically undeveloped area.
After Second World War or after independence, it was thought
to settle all these problems properly and so, many development
programmes were reinvigorated.
Looking at a vast country like India, during British rule some
selected social workers had started some programmes of rural
development.
The evolution of extension programme is described in two
stages:
Stage I- Pre-Independence Era (1866-1947)
Stage II- Post-Independence Era (1947-1953)
Stage I. Pre-Independence Era (1866-1947)
YEAR PLACE PERSON/AGENCY
1903 Scheme of Rural Reconstruction at the Sir Daniel Hamilton
Sunderbans in Bengal
1920 Gurgaon project in Haryana Mr. F.L. Brayne
1920 Sriniketan experiment in Bengal Sri Rabindra Nath Tagore
1920 Seva-gram experiment in Wardha in Shree Mahatma Gandhi
Gujarat
1928 Marthandam project in Kerala Dr. Spencer Hatch
1932 Baroda village reconstruction project Shree B.T. Krishnamachari
1942 Grow more food campaign Agricultural departments of
state governments
1945 Indian village service Dr. W.H. Wisher
1946 Firka Vikas Yojana in Madras (now in Government of Madras
Tamilnadu)
1.Scheme of rural reconstruction at the sunderbans in Bengal
In 1903, Sir Daniel Hamilton formed a scheme to create model villages, in
an area in Sunderban(Bengal), based on cooperative principles.
He organised one village of this type and set on Cooperative Credit Society
which functioned up to 1916.
In the 1924, he organised a Central Cooperative Bank and Cooperative
Marketing Society.
He established a Rural Reconstruction Institute in 1934.
The institute provided training facilities in cottage and subsidiary industries.
2.Gurgaon project (1920)
In Gurgaon district, this programme of village development was the first one
to be run by the State. It was started by the Mr. F. L. Brayne.
The main objectives of this project were:
(1) To increase crop production,
(2) to control extra expenditure,
(3) to improve the health,
(4) to develop the feeling of women-education, and
(5) home development work.
3.Shriniketan project (1920)
Shriniketan is situated about 100 km. away from Calcutta (Kolkata) in
West-Bengal State. This area was backward socially, economically and
politically.
Shri Ravindra Nath Tagore began this project of village development in this
area with the help of sociologist Shri L.M. Hurst.
Shriniketan Village Welfare Institute was established in 1920 whose main
objectives were the following:
(1) To increase the knowledge of rural people.
(2) To help the rural people in establishing cottage industry.
(3) To inspire the people to follow new technology.
(4) Development of dairy farming.
(5) To create the feeling of co-operation.
(6) To arrange the facility of health and education.
(7) To create the feeling of rural leadership.
This Project, in the beginning, was started only in 8 villages but after some
time this project was extended to 15 villages.
4.Seva-gram (1920)
The main objective of this programme was to prevent the economic and
social suppression of the people and to create the feeling of patriotism
among them and they must think that this is their own country. For fulfilling
this objective, Gandhiji made a programme, which became famous as
“Gandhian Constructive Programme.”
The main objectives of this project were:
(1) to use khadi clothes,
(2) to introduce Health Programme,
(3) the programme of sanitation in the village,
(4)the programme of women welfare,
(5) the programme of economic help,
(6) to uplift the backward classes,
(7) primary and adult educational programmes,
(8) to improve the conditions of poor people,
(9) programme of social harmony, and
(10) to popularise the mother tongue and other national dialects.
5.Marthandam project (1928)
This project of rural development was initiated in the village
Marthandam near Trivendrum of Kerala State by Young Men
Christian Association (YMCA) and Christian Church Association
under the direction of Dr. Spencer Hatch in 1928.
The main objectives of this project were:
a) Spiritual development
b) Mental development
c) Physical development
d) Social development
e) Economic development
6.Baroda village reconstruction Project (1932)
Shree B.T. Krishnamachari in Baroda in the Gujarat State initiated this
Project in 1932. This Project Continued for a long period.
a) Objectives
· To improve the life style of rural people rapidly.
· To spread education and industrialization.
· To develop the necessary factors for the progress of agriculture.
b) Scope
· This Project was started in the district of Navsari in the Gujarat State.
· Many programmes such as gardening, poultry-farming, bee-keeping, spinning
and weaving were organized.
· Re-stabilization of ‘Panchayats’ and other programmes of village progress
were organized.
· The adult education had been extended.
c) Working System
· By personal education and contact by the village guides.
· To use the school teacher of village in the extension of programme.
· To use the traditional means of extension.
7.Grow more food campaign (1942)
This campaign, started in 1942, was continued after getting the independence.
The main object of this campaign was to fulfill the need of food, which had been
created due to the Second World War. This campaign was the first one to be
organized on a national level. In this campaign, the new seeds and chemical
fertilizers were distributed among the farmers. Agricultural departments of state
governments organized this campaign.
a) Achievements
· After spending a lot of money, some problems were tackled in the end.
· The crop production increased due to new seeds and chemical fertilizers
provided to the farmers.
· From this campaign, the production of cotton and jute increased appropriately.
b) Limitations
· Its work field was limited.
· The campaign was deemed to be temporary hence the work was done.
· The economic help, the distribution of good seeds and fertilizers could be
available
only on some places.
8 .Indian village service (IVS-1945)
In 1945, under the guidance of Dr. W.H. Wisher, this service
began in the village Agasoli, District Aligarh in U.P. But, after the
partition of the country, the village volunteer M.V. Siddiqi Khan
went to Pakistan and this centre was closed.
9 .Firka vikas yojana (1946)
The government of Madras (now Tamil Nadu) decided to make
efforts for the development of villages at Firka level. The first
programme began in 1946. Among Pre-Independence project, this
was the biggest project.
