UNIT 4-Planning
and Development
of Rural Areas
BY: PROF. AMENA ANSARI
syllabus
District administration, District Planning
introduction to various sectors of rural areas such as drinking
water, waste water treatment, electricity, public transport,
irrigation, sanitation and cooking energy
issues and challenges associated with these sectors
People's participation and role in development of rural areas
various schemes and policies floated by state and central
government - phases in the schemes
life cycle costing of these schemes
District administration, District Planning
District Administration means the management of the task of
government so far as it lies within an area legally
recognized as a district.
District Planning Committee (DPC) is the committee created as per
article 243ZD of the Constitution of India at the district level for
planning at the district and below.
Steps in district planning
Preparation of district vision, block vision and gram panchayat
level vision.
Preparation of participatory plan involving Gram Sabha from Gram
Panchayats to Zilla Parishad.
Preparation of plans by Urban Local Bodies.
District Planning is the process of preparing an integrated plan for the Local
Government in a District taking into account the resources available and
covering the sectoral activities and schemes assigned to the district level below
and those implemented through local governments in the state.” It ensures better ...
Planning for the development of rural areas and allocating resources for the
same. ... Keeping in view the plans submitted by Panchayati Raj authorities, the
District Planning Committee makes an effective plan for the development of the
district at large.
introduction to various sectors of
rural areas
Rural development is the process of improving the quality of
life and economic well-being of people living in rural
areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas.
Rural Development has traditionally centered on the exploitation
of land-intensive natural resources such as agriculture and
forestry.
Rural development aims at improving rural people’s livelihoods in
an equitable and sustainable manner, both socially and
environmentally, through better access to assets (natural,
physical, human, technological and social capital), and services,
and control over productive capital (in its financial or economic
and political forms) that enable them to improve their livelihoods
on a sustainable and equitable basis.
The basic objectives of Rural Development Programmes have
been alleviation of poverty and unemployment through creation
of basic social and economic infrastructure, provision of training
to rural unemployed youth and providing employment to
marginal Farmers/Labourers to discourage seasonal and
permanent migration to urban areas.
Strategies and programs for rural
development
The rural economy is an integral part of the overall Indian
economy. As majority of the poor reside in the rural areas, the
prime goal of rural development is to improve the quality of life
of the rural people by alleviating poverty through the instrument
of self-employment and wage employment programmes, by
providing community infrastructure facilities such as drinking
water, electricity, road connectivity, health facilities, rural
housing and education and promoting decentralization of powers
to strengthen the Panchayati raj institutions etc. The various
strategies and programs of the Government for rural
development are discussed below:
Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP): First introduced in 1978-
79, IRDP has provided assistance to rural poor in the form of subsidy and bank
credit for productive employment opportunities through successive plan periods.
Subsequently, Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM),
Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA), Supply of
Improved Tool Kits to Rural Artisans (SITRA) and Ganga Kalyan Yojana (GKY) were
introduced as sub-programs of IRDP to take care of the specific needs of the
rural population
Wage Employment Programs: Anti-poverty strategies, like assistance to the
rural poor families to bring them above the poverty line by ensuring appreciable
sustained level of income through the process of social mobilization, training and
capacity building. Wage Employment Programs have sought to achieve multiple
objectives. They not only provide employment opportunities during lean
agricultural seasons but also in times of floods, droughts and other natural
calamities. They create rural infrastructure which supports further economic
activity. It encompasses Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY),
Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) and National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (NREGA) etc. NREGA is an act of parliament. It is not merely a
scheme or policy. It aims at enhancing the livelihood security of the people in
rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment in a financial
year, to a rural household whose members volunteer to do unskilled manual
work. The objective of the Act is to create durable assets and strengthen the
livelihood resource base of the rural poor.
Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS): EAS was launched in
October 1993 covering 1,778 drought-prone, desert, tribal and
hill area blocks. It was later extended to all the blocks in 1997-98.
The EAS was designed to provide employment in the form of
manual work in the lean agricultural season. The works taken up
under the program were expected to lead to the creation of
durable economic and social infrastructure and address the felt-
needs of the people
Food for Work Program: The Food for Work program was
started in 2000-01 as a component of the EAS in eight notified
drought-affected states of Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Maharastra and
Uttaranchal. The program aims at food provision through wage
employment. Food grains are supplied to states free of cost.
However, lifting of food grains for the scheme from Food
Corporation of India (FCI) godowns has been slow
Rural Housing: Initiated in 1985-86, the IAY is the core program
for providing free housing to families in rural areas. It targets
scheduled castes (SCs)/scheduled tribes (STs), households and
freed bonded laborers. The rural housing program has certainly
enabled many BPL families to acquire pucca houses. The
coverage of the beneficiaries is limited given the resource
constraints. The Samagra Awas Yojana (SAY) was taken up in 25
blocks to ensure convergence of housing, provision of safe
drinking water, sanitation and common drainage facilities. The
Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) has
extended its activities to the rural areas, providing loans at a
concessional rate of interest to economically weaker sections and
low-income group households for construction of houses
Social Security Programs: Democratic decentralization and centrally
supported Social Assistance Programs were two major initiatives of the
government in the 1990s. The National Social Assistance Program (NSAP),
launched in August 1995 marks a significant step towards fulfillment of the
Directive Principles of State Policy. The NSAP has three components: a)
National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS); b) National Family Benefit Scheme
(NFBS); c) National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS). The NSAP is a centrally-
sponsored program that aims at ensuring a minimum national standard of
social assistance over and above the assistance that states provide from their
own resources. The NOAPS provides a monthly pension of Rs. 75 to destitute
BPL persons above the age of 65. The NFBS is a scheme for BPL families who
are given Rs. 10,000 in the event of the death of the breadwinner. The NMBS
provides Rs. 500 to support nutritional intake for pregnant women. In addition
to NSAP, the Annapurna scheme was launched from 1st April 2000 to provide
food security to senior citizens who were eligible for pension under NOAPS but
could not receive it due to budget constraints
Land Reforms: In an agro-based economy, the structure of land
ownership is central to the wellbeing of the people. The
government has strived to change the ownership pattern of
cultivable land, the abolition of intermediaries, the abolition of
zamindari, ceiling laws, security of tenure to tenants,
consolidation of land holdings and banning of tenancy are a few
measures undertaken. Furthermore, a land record management
system is a pre-condition for an effective land reform program. In
1987-88, a centrally-sponsored scheme for Strengthening of
Revenue Administration and Updating of Land Records (SRA &
ULR) was introduced in Orissa and Bihar
People's participation and role in development
of rural areas
Participation: has an intrinsic value for participants; is a catalyst
for further development; encourages a sense of responsibility;
guarantees that a felt need is involved; ensures things are done
the right way; uses valuable indigenous knowledge; frees people
from dependence on others' skills’
People's participation in development, therefore, refers to the
process of broadening access to development initiatives,
and to efforts to extend the benefits of national development
policies to the previously excluded broad mass of the rural poor.
Farming and related activities make up the basic fabric of
rural life, contributing significantly to the overall state of rural
regions in terms of employment and business opportunities,
infrastructure and quality of the environment.
Schemes for Rural Development
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana
Launched on 25 December 2000 by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, the scheme aims at enhancing rural road connectivity. This
scheme provides connectivity to the habitations with less or no
connectivity at all and helps in poverty reduction by promoting access to
economic and social services. This ensures sustainable poverty
reduction in the long run as people get an opportunity to get connected
with the rest of the world. The scheme has been benefiting several
villagers and is helping them lead better lives. Nearly 82% of roads have
been built till December 2017 which have successfully connected
several rural areas to cities. Remaining 47,000 habitations will also get
connected by all-weather roads by March 2019. Earlier, the scheme was
funded only by the central government but after the recommendation of
14th Finance Commission report the expense is shared by both state
and central government.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, a part of National
Livelihood Mission, has the objectives of catering to the career aspirations of
the rural youth and adding diversity to the income of rural families.
Launched on 25th September 2014, the scheme’s prime focus is on the rural
youth of poor families aged between 15 and 35. An amount of Rs 1500
crores has been provided for the scheme which will help in enhancing
employability. The yojana is present in 21 States and Union Territories across
568 districts and 6215 blocks changing the lives of youth. Around 690
projects are being implemented by 300 partners. As per the government
reports, over 2.7 lakh candidates have been trained till now and nearly 1.34
lakh candidates have been placed in jobs
The Prime Minister Rural Development Fellowship (PMRDF) is a
scheme initiated by the Ministry of Rural Development, implemented in
collaboration with State Governments. It has dual goals of providing short-
term support to the district administration in the underdeveloped and
remote areas of the country and develop competent and committed leaders
and facilitators who can serve as a resource for a long-term
Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)/ National Rural
Livelihood Mission
Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana which is redesigned as
National Rural Livelihood Mission was launched in 2011. Also known
as Ajeevika, this scheme aims at empowering women self-help
model across the country. Under this scheme, the government
provides a loan of 3 lakh rupees at an interest rate of 7% which can
be reduced to 4% at the time of repayment. The scheme was aided
by World Bank and aimed at creating efficient and also effective
institutional platforms for poor people. It also helped in increasing
the household income by improving access to financial services.
NRLM also helps in harnessing the capabilities of the poor so that
they can participate in the growth of the economy of the country
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)
As per the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) of
2005, 100 days of employment is guaranteed to any rural
household adult who is willing to do unskilled manual work in a
financial year. The Act addresses the working people and their
fundamental right to live life with dignity. If a person does not get
a job within 15 days, he is eligible for getting unemployment
allowance. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)
also highlights the importance of basic right to work.
Amendments have been introduced to this act to minimise
corruption in the scheme
The Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) was
launched in 2001 to provide employment to the poor. It also
aimed at providing food to people in areas who live below the
poverty line and improving their nutritional levels. Other
objectives of this Yojana were to provide social and economic
assets to the people living in rural areas. The scheme did not
include the employment of contractors or middlemen.
Sarv Siksha Abhiyan
Pioneered by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpayee, the Sarv
Siksha Abhiyan was launched in 2000. It is an attempt to provide
an opportunity to all children between 6 and 14 years of age to
get free education which is also a basic fundamental right. The
state and the central government share the expenses of this
project
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is a rural development
project launched in 2014 by the Government of India in which
each Member of Parliament will take the responsibility of three
villages and look after the personal, human, social,
environmental and economic development of the villages. This
would substantially improve the standard of living as well as the
quality of life in the villages. No fundings have been provided to
this project as fundings can be raised through existing schemes
National Social Assistance Programme
National Social Assistance Programme signifies the fulfilment of
Directive Principles in Article 41 and 42 of the constitution which
states that it is the duty of the state to provide assistance to the
citizens in terms of sickness, unemployment, old age in limits of the
economic capabilities. It is basically a centrally sponsored scheme of
Government of India which provides financial help to widows, elderly,
people with disability in form of pensions. The scheme was launched
on August 15 in 1995
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin)/ Indira Awas Yojana
Indira Awas Yojana revamped as Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana
in 2016 is a welfare programme created by the Indian Government
to provide housing to rural poor people in India. The goal of this
scheme is to provide home to all citizens till 2022. The cost of
constructing the houses will be shared by the centre and the state.
The scheme has been implemented in rural areas throughout India,
except in Delhi and Chandigarh. Houses developed under this
scheme will have basic amenities such as toilet, electricity
connection, drinking water connection, LPG connection etc. The
alloted houses will be jointly under the name of husband and wife.
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)
Launched by the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in
2000, the Antyodaya Anna Yojana aimed at providing food grains
to around 2 crore people at subsidised rates. As per the scheme
Below Poverty Line (BPL) families were provided 35 kgs of food
grains. Rice was provided at the rate of Rs 3/kg and wheat at the
rate of Rs 2/kg. The scheme was first launched in Rajasthan but
has now been implemented in all Indian states
Provision of Urban Amenities In Rural Areas (PURA)
PURA is a strategy for Rural Development in India which was
proposed by former President APJ Abdul Kalam in his book Target
3 billion. PURA proposes that urban infrastructure and services
should be provided in rural areas to create opportunities outside
the cities. This will also prevent the migration of youth from the
rural areas to urban areas. The Central Government has been
running PURA programs in various states since its launch in 2004.
life cycle costing of the schemes
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana
PMGSY-III, it will cost Rs 1,12,419 crore, including state share,
to be spent between 2021-22 and 2024-25 for completion of all
the ongoing interventions of PMGSY,
The Prime Minister Rural Development Fellowship
(PMRDF) Fellowship (PMRDF) scheme and will cost the
government Rs 36 crore for a twoyear fellowship while in the last
year of service the fellows will have to mandatorily work under
the National Rural Livelihood Mission.
