Rural India: Development & Challenges

As per the census report 2011, nearly 69% of the total Indian population comprises of rural India. If socio-
economic conditions of rural India of 2001 are compared with that of 2011, we will find a positive sign of
development and advancement in almost every sphere of rural India.
Some major achievements in the recent years can be listed as follows:
1) The 2011 Census data shows that the rural literacy rate has grown from 58.7% in 2011to 68.9% in 2011.
Also, the female literacy rate in rural areas has increased from 46% in2011 to 58.8% in 2011.
2) The Annual Status of Education Report 2010 states that the percentage of children who are not enrolled in
school has reduced from 6.6% in 2005 to 3.5% in 2010.
3) A notable progress has been seen in women's political empowerment with over 1.2million women
representative across rural India.
4) The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Act has led to the creation of 987 crore person-day of
work, since its inception.
6) The Indira Awas Yojana programme has provided home to over 22.5 million below poverty line
households.
7) More than 3.5 million self help groups have been formed under that Swarnajayanti GramSwarozgar Yojana
programme.
8) Remarkable developement has also been seen in drinking water and sanitation programmes.
Challenges, Concern
Although, if compared to the previous decades, positive signs of development are there, but it still suffers from
lack of good teachers, poor infrastructure etc. Basic health care services are still not available and absence of
doctors and medical staff in the villages are lowering the rural health care system in very severely. Also
malnutrition and hunger are widespread in several rural areas. In spite of intense efforts, rural poverty is still a
curse for the overall growth of India. Decreasing public involvement in agriculture is already a matter
of concern for the government. The gap between rural and urban income has widened sharply because
agriculture growth is slower as compared to other sectors.
The Task Ahead
The post important task is to develop the infrastructure required to ensure smooth and timely delivery of basic
education and healthcare service in rural India. Its involves active supervision of the teachers and the medical
staff, just to make sure that they perform their work without fail. It is an utmost priority to adopt some adequate
policies to ensure there is no problem of drinking water in the villages. Because as per an estimate, nearly 13%
of drinking water in rural areas is found to be contaminated by chemicals & fertilizer run-offs.

The development of rural economy requires rapid implementation and expansion of employment and income
opportunities. According to the 66th round of National Sample Survey conducted between July 2009 to June
2010, shows that their is a difference of almost 900 Rs. in the average monthly per capita consumer
expenditure. It divide requires a more innovative and strategic approach towards poverty alleviation in rural
India. Corruption within the Panchayati Raj System is increasing and thus posing a serious thread for rural
development.
Thus transforming rural India is challenge that be focused by the best Indian minds. No doubt it is the single biggest
hurdle in making India a developed country.