Rural development

Rural development usually refers to the method of enhancing the quality of life and financial well-being of individuals, specifically living in populated and remote areas.

Traditionally, rural development was centred on the misuse of land-intensive natural resources such as forestry and agriculture. However today, the increasing urbanisation and the change in global production networks have transformed the nature of rural areas.

Rural development still remains the core of the overall development of the country. More than two-third of the country’s people are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, and one-third of rural India is still below the poverty line. Therefore, it is important for the government to be productive and provide enough facilities to upgrade their standard of living.

Rural development is a term that concentrates on the actions taken for the development of rural areas to improve the economy. However, few areas that demand more focused attention and new initiatives are:

• Education
• Public health and Sanitation
• Women empowerment
• Infrastructure development (electricity, irrigation, etc.)
• Facilities for agriculture extension and research
• Availability of credit
• Employment opportunities

Importance of Rural Development

Rural development is important not only for the majority of the population residing in rural areas, but also for the overall economic expansion of the nation.

Rural development is considered to be of noticeable importance in the country today than in the olden days in the process of the evolution of the nation. It is a strategy that tries to obtain an improved  and productivity, higher socio-economic equality and ambition, and stability in social and economic development.

The primary task is to decrease the famine that exists in roughly about 70 percent of the rural population, and to make sufficient and healthy food available.

The secondary task is to ensure the availability of clothing and footwear, a clean environment and house, medical attention, recreational provision, education, transport, and communication.

Objectives of Rural Development

The objectives composed by the government in the sixth five-year plan for rural development are:

• To improve productivity and wages of rural people
• To guarantee increased and quick employment possibilities
• To demolish unemployment and bring a notable decline in underemployment
• To guarantee an increase in the standard of living of the underprivileged population
• To provide the basic needs: elementary education, healthcare, clean drinking water, rural roads, etc.

Key Points

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 2005:
  
  • About :
    
    • The scheme was introduced as a social measure that guarantees “the right to work”. The Ministry of Rural Development monitors the entire implementation of this scheme in association with state governments.
  • Major Objective:
    
    • Providing not less than one hundred days of unskilled manual work as a guaranteed employment in a financial year to every household in rural areas as per demand, resulting in creation of productive assets of prescribed quality and durability.
      
      • MGNREGA assets include farm, ponds, percolation tanks, check dams, road layer, irrigation channels etc.
  • Other Features:
    
    • It is the Gram Sabha and the Gram Panchayat which approves the shelf of works under MGNREGA and fixes their priority.
    • Social Audit of MGNREGA works is mandatory, which leads to accountability and transparency.
  • Achievements:
    
    • For the financial year 2021-22, 2.95 crore persons have been offered work, thus, completing 5.98 lakh assets and generating 34.56 crore person-days.
• Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM):
  
  • About:
    
    • It is a centrally sponsored programme, launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in June 2011.
  • Objective:
    
    • To eliminate rural poverty through the promotion of multiple livelihoods and improved access to financial services for the rural poor households across the country.
  • Functioning:
    
    • It involves working with community institutions through community professionals in the spirit of self-help which is a unique proposition of DAY-NRLM.
    • It impacts the livelihoods through universal social mobilization by inter alia organising one-woman member from each rural poor household into Self Help Groups (SHGs), their training and capacity building, facilitating their micro-livelihoods plans, and enabling them to implement their livelihoods plans through accessing financial resources from their own institutions and the banks.
  • Achievements:
    
    • Revolving Fund and Community Investment Fund amounting to approximately Rs. 56 Crore released to women SHGs in FY 2021 as compared to approximately Rs. 32 Crore in the same corresponding period in FY 2020.
    • Training on farm and non-Farm based livelihoods, on covid management and promotion of Agri-Nutri gardens.
• Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY):
  
  • Launch: 25^th December, 2000.
  • Objective:
    
    • To provide connectivity, by way of an all-weather road to unconnected habitations.
  • Beneficiaries:
    
    • Unconnected habitations of designated population size (500+ in plain areas and 250+ in North-Eastern States, Himalayan States, Deserts and Tribal Areas as per 2001 census) in the core network for uplifting the socio-economic condition of the rural population.
  • Achievements:
    
    • Highest length of road has been completed under PMGSY in the comparable period over the last 3 years.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin:
  
  • Launch:
    
    • To achieve the objective of “Housing for All” by 2022, the erstwhile rural housing scheme Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) was restructured to Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) w.e.f 1^st April, 2016.
  • Objective:
    
    • To help rural people below the poverty line (BPL) in construction of dwelling units and upgradation of existing unserviceable kutcha houses by providing assistance in the form of a full grant.
  • Beneficiaries:
    • People belonging to SCs/STs, freed bonded labourers and non-SC/ST categories, widows or next-of-kin of defence personnel killed in action, ex servicemen and retired members of the paramilitary forces, Disabled persons and Minorities.
    • Beneficiaries are chosen according to data taken from the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011.
  • Achievements:
    
    • Highest expenditure amounting to Rs. 5854 Cr in FY 2021-22; double than the FY 2020-21 in the comparable period.

The Rural Development Vertical provides policy guidance to the Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). It monitors the progress of the various schemes and programmes, including DAY-NRLM, MGNREGA, PMAY, NSAP, PMGSY, SPMRM, implemented by the Ministry. The Vertical also deals with work related to the State of Andhra Pradesh.

Core Functions:

• To assist in policy formulation of rural development programmes and to make periodic assessments of the physical and financial progress achieved.
• To analyze and furnish comments on EFC/SFC memorandums and Cabinet Notes received from MoRD.
• To liaise with MoRD to engage States for greater cooperative federalism.
• To provide a platform for the resolution of inter-sectoral and inter-departmental issues to accelerate the implementation of various schemes of the Ministry.
• To monitor MoRD’s schemes such as MNREGA, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY- NRLM), and National Social Assistance Programme. The Vertical participates in the preparation of the Terms of Reference for evaluation of key CSS schemes of MoRD. It also provides inputs for the finalisation of reports pertaining to these schemes.
• The Vertical coordinates with MoRD to review the updation of DMEO’s Output-Outcome Monitoring Framework