Rural Development Programmes in India

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Initial Projects

Sriniketan Experiment: Rabindranath Tagore started this experiment for the economic and cultural rehabilitation of villages in and around Santhiniketan. Overall development of the villages was achieved through collective group activities which included agriculture, poultry livestock, horticulture etc.

Gurgaon Initiative: it was the bold rural devel-opment project initiated by F.L Brein, the Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon. He tried for the integrated and overall development of the villages with the active participation of the villagers.

Marthandam Project: This was a community reconstruction programme launched by Dr. Spencer Hatch for the overall development of 40 villages in and around Marthandam. The basic philosophy of the programme was 'self help'. Through co-ordinated village activities he tried to achieve self-reliance and self-sufficiency for them.

Sevagram: Through Sevagram Gandhiji aimed to develop self-sufficiency, promotion of village industries, clean villages, elimination of untouchability, and other social evils and development of proper values.

Baroda Experiment: Baroda village reconstruction experiment was launched in 1932-33 for the overall development of the village and living condition of the farmers.

Firka Development Scheme: Firka Development Scheme was launched by the Government of Chennai to attain Grama Swaraj visualized by Gandhiji. Integrated group activities were initiat-ed to produce the desired result.

Ettavah Project: The project that started in 1948 in Uttar Pradesh paved the way for Community Development Programme. The project aimed to achieve community development through the co-ordinated work of people, government agencies and voluntary organizations.

Nilokkari Township: S.K. Day initiated this township project to rehabilitate the refugees who came from Pakistan after the partition of India and to provide employment opportunities. It aimed at integrated rural and urban development.

Important Rural Development Projects

The list of Rural Development Programmes in India is explained below.

Swachh Bharat Mission

Swachh Bharat Mission was introduced in the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2014 by the prime minister of India. The idea of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan leads to the introduction of this Mission. The mission targets on improving the sanitation facilities that includes toilets, waste disposal method, cleanliness in urban and rural areas and also for the sufficient drinking water supply.

National Food for Work Programme (NFFWP)

The National Food for Work Programme was established in November 2004 in around 150 most backward districts of india. The scheme is 100 percent centrally sponsored. The scheme would provide wage employment to any individual willing to do manual unskilled labour. In general, the National Food for Work Programme scheme is self-objective in nature.

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY)

The Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) was launched on 25th September 2001 by merging the on-going schemes of Employment Assurance Programme (EAS) and the Jawahar Grama Samridhi Yojana (JGSY). Its objective is to provide additional wage employment and food security, alongside creation of durable community assets in rural area.

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was established in 25th December, 2000. It is a fully funded centrally sponsored scheme. The major goal of the PMGSY is to offer connectivity to all the qualified independent habitations of further 500 people in the rural areas (250 people in the mountainous and desert location) by superior quality all-weather roads.

Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY)

A centrally sponsored scheme called Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY) was formally launched by the Prime Minister on 2nd December 2001 at Hyderabad. The scheme has the major objective to facilitate the construction and up gradation of the dwelling units for the slum dwellers and to provide health and enabling urban environment through community toilets which was in the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, a part of the scheme.

Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)

The Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) is one of the rural development programme of the Government of India introduced in the financial year of 1978/1979 and was implemented around the nation by 1980. It is a self-employment program planned to elevate the revenue generation facility of target groups amongst the poor. IRDP was replaced by SGSY (Swarna Jayanthi Grama Swarozgar Yojana), a new scheme started on 1st April 1999.

The Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM)

TRYSEM was started in August 1979 for facilitating diversification of IRDP activities. The plan - TRYSEM meant for providing necessary technical and entrepreneurial ability to the rural people in the age of 18-35 years permit them begin profit generating activities (self/ salary employment). It had been put down that the introduction of youth from SC/ST communities must be at least half of rural youth trained. Beyond the total beneficiaries, around half of them must be women. The plan had been combined into SGSY with IRDP, DWCRA and other programs from April, 1999 onwards.

Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)

The Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana was launched from 1st April 1999. SGSY has replaced IRDP and its allied schemes viz Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM), Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA), SITRA, GKY and MWS. Under the SGSY, support is given to the poor people living under the below poverty line in rural location for getting self employment.

Swarna Jayanthi Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY)

The Swarna Jayanthi Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) is in action from 1st December 1997 onwards, in all city and muncipal towns of the country. SJSRY came into operation through restructuring and streamlining of the earlier urban poverty alleviation programmes, the Nehru Rozgar Yojana (NRY), the Urban Basic Services for the Poor (UBSP) and the Prime Minister's Integrated Urban Poverty Alleviation Programme (PMIUPAP). It seeks to offer job to the urban employed or underemployed people who are categorized as below poverty line and have an qualification upto IX standard through encouraging the establishing of self employment business enterprise or stipulation of wage employment.

Prime Minister's Rozgar Yojana (PMRY)

The scheme was launched on 2nd October 1993 and initially was in operation urban areas. From 1st April 1.994 onwards the scheme is being implemented throughout the country. The objective of the scheme is to provide self-employment opportunities to educated unemployed youth in the age group of 18 to 35 years.

Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY)

Indira Awaas Yojana aims to uplift the rural people living under below poverty level people, especially for the SC/ST, and other non-SC/ST tribes. The project aims at giving kutcha houses to these sections of people. From 1995-96 onwards, the project is extended for widows and defense employees who became a martyrdom for the country. Both paramilitary and ex-servicemen people are eligible for this scheme.

National Rural Development Programme

National Rural Development Programme was started in the year 1980. Its purpose is the accomplishment of extra job to the working and others. The programme aims to generate community assets for increasing rural infrastructure like water wells, farming wells, community tanks, small agricultural works, road maintanence, Schools etc.

Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme

RLEGP was started in rural areas on August 15, 1983. Its objective is to create employment, construct productive projects and improve rural life, but the guarantee part of this programme could not however be implemented due to the lack of resources. The entire expenditure of this programme is financed by the Central Government.

Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)

The government established the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) for the poorest of the poor. It was started in the year 2000 (on 25 December). Under this scheme 35 kg of food grain was made available to each eligible family at highly subsidised rates of Rs. two per kg of wheat and Rs. three per kg for rice.

Bharat Nirman

The programme was established by the then Prime Minister of india on December 2005. Bharat Nirman Programme aims at building infra structure and bringing basic amenities to Rural India. Under Bharat Nirman, activities are projected in the six areas which include agriculture, roadways, housing, water supply, electrification and telecommunications in rural areas.

Samagra Awaas Yojana (SAY)

SAY is a comprehensive housing scheme launched in 1999-2000 to ensure integrated provision of shelter, sanitation and drinking water. The basic objective is to improve the quality of life of the people as well as overall habitation in the rural areas. The scheme converges various rural development activities such as construction of houses, sanitation facilities, drinking water schemes etc.

National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP)

NREGA was enacted on September 2005 and came into effect from February 2006 in 200 most backward districts. NREGP would cover all districts of the country within five years. The programme functions on water conservation, flood control and rural connectivity for weather - roads. Panchayat have the key role in planning, implementing and monitoring the programme. The name NREGP is changed to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme.

Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS)

ICDS was launched in 1975-76 which aims to provide an integrated package of health, nutri-tion and educational services to children upto six years of age, pregnant women and nursing mothers. World Bank gives credit for Integrated Child Development Scheme projects for the further necessities like erection of Anganwadi complex and Child Development Project Officer 's office-cum godowns.

Mahila Samridhi Yojana (MSY)

MSY was launched in 1993. Under MSY every rural adult women was encouraged to have the MSY a/c in the post office which has jurisdiction over her village. For an amount of Rs. 300 in a year, the government contributes 25% as incentive. The main goal of the program was to support saving among women and to make powerful them with running the family in their own money and also over their household assets.

Balika Samriddhi Yojana

BSY was launched in 1997 with the specific aim of changing the community's attitude towards the girl child. The programme was recast in June 1999. Rs. 500 was given to mother of a girl child born on or after August 18, 1997, in a family below the poverty line in rural and urban areas. The benefits of scholarships approved will also be deposited in the same a/c.

Rural Development Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY)

There are around 44,000 villages, where the inhabitants of SC tribe are above 50 percent. A new project named as Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) is started for the incorporated expansion of 1000 similar villages. Already, the pilot scheme has been taken up for implementation in five states, mentions only four states - Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Assam.

Kudumbasree

Kudumbasree is a State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM). It is established by Government of Kerala in 1998 with the help of Central Government and also from NABARD for eradicating complete poverty in the state within a period of 10 years. The slogan of the Mission is "Reaching out to families through Women and reaching out to community through Families." " Kudumbasree" envisages prosperity of the economically backward families in kerala with numerous programs that will give them information, create alertness, put up their potential and power, increase their self-confidence and illustrate the option for improved social security and empower them physically, socially, economically and politically.

Important Institutions Associated with Rural Development

  • UNFPA : United Nations Fund for Population Activities
  • KINFRA : Kerala Infrastructure Development Corporation
  • HUDCO . Housing and Urban Development Program
  • NABARD : National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development
  • DRDA : District Rural Development Agency
  • NIRD : National Institute of Rural Development
  • PHC : Primary Health Centre
  • REC : Rural Electrification Corporation
  • RRBs : Regional Rural Banks
  • LDB : Land Development Banks
  • NFRD : National Fund for Rural Development
  • NIRD : National Institute of Rural Development
  • NIC : National Informatics Centre
  • RIB : Rural Information Bureau
  • RDB : Rural Development Board
  • SIRD : State Institute of Rural Development Institute
  • IRMA : Institute of Rural Management, Anand
  • DRIP : District Rural Industries Project
  • IIED : Indian Institute for Entrepreneur Development
  • CORD : Centre on Rural Documentation
  • DIC : District Industries Centre
  • DPDC : District Planning and Development Council
  • GB : Grameen Bank
  • KVK: Krishi Vigyan Kendra
  • NES : National Extension Service