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A Review of Rural Development Programmes in India: September 2013
A Review of Rural Development Programmes in India: September 2013
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1
ICSSR Postdoctoral Fellow; 2Research Scholar, Department of Anthropology,
Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, India
Abstract: The Rural development generally refers to the process of improving the quality of life and
economic well-being of people living in relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is considered as a “Silver Bullet” for eradicating
rural poverty and unemployment, by way of generating demand for productive labour force in villages. It
provides an alternative source of livelihood which will have an impact on reducing migration, restricting child
labour, alleviating poverty, and making villages self-sustaining through productive assets creation such as
road construction, cleaning up of water tanks, soil and water conservation work, etc. For which it has been
considered as the largest anti-poverty programme in the world. In this paper, based on the secondary data,
an attempt has been made to comprehensively understand the development effort to rebuild the rural life and
livelihood on the basis of various secondary data.
INTRODUCTION
In India, out of total population of 121 India such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
crores, 83.3 crores live in rural areas (Census Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA),
of India, 2011). Thus, nearly 70 per cent of the Rastriya Sama Vikas Yojana (RSVY), Indira
India‟s population lives in rural areas. These Awas Yojana (IAY), Sampoorna Grameen
rural populations can be characterised by mass Rozgar Yojana (SGRY), Integrated Tribal
poverty, low levels of literacy and income, high Development Project (ITDP), Pradhan Mantri
level of unemployment, and poor nutrition and Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Integrated
health status. In order to tackle these specific Child Development Services (ICDS),
problems, a number of rural development Development of Women and Children in Rural
programmes are being implemented to create Areas (DWCRA), etc. All these schemes are
opportunities for improvement of the quality of aimed to reduce the gap between rural and
life of these rural people. urban people which would help reduce
The term „rural development‟ is the imbalances and speed up the development
overall development of rural areas to improve process.
the quality of life of rural people. And it is a
process leading to sustainable improvement in MGNREGA: THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
the quality of life of rural people especially the In the post-Independence period, the
poor (Ramesh, 2012). The rural developmental Government wanted to uplift the socio-
programmes intend to reduce the poverty and economic condition (SEC) of their people who
unemployment, to improve the health and mainly depended upon forest products and
educational status and to fulfill the basic needs daily labour. Another important component of
such as food, shelter and clothing of the rural the governmental perspective was to settle the
population. To improve the conditions of rural rural population as agriculture population.
people, Government of India launched some The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
schemes through the planning commission of Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, guarantees
Santanu Panda and Arup Majumder
38 International Journal of Research in Sociology and Social Anthropology, 2013, 1(2): 37-40
A review of rural development programmes in India
International Journal of Research in Sociology and Social Anthropology, 2013, 1(2): 37-40 39
Santanu Panda and Arup Majumder
can be concluded that the success of this Act Shah, M. (2004). National Rural Employment
depends upon its proper implementation and in Guarantee Act: A Historic opportunity. Economic
and Political Weekly, XXX (39), 5287-5291.
this scenario, the community participation is
very important to make this programme more Web References
effective. http://www.gov.in
http://www.nrega.net
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
http://www.nrega.nic.in/guidelines.htm.
We convey our sincerest thanks to Richa
www.nrega.net/pin/reports-and...to-the.../NREGA%
Jha, Moidul Islam and Bhagabati Raja,
20NFIW.doc
research scholars of Department of
planningcommission.gov.in/reports/genrep/
Anthropology, University of Delhi and
rep_NREGA.pdf
Pondicherry University for their valuable
suggestions and technical support towards Correspondence to:
completion of this research paper. We express Santanu Panda
panda9732@yahoo.in
our deep sense of gratitude to our teacher Dr.
40 International Journal of Research in Sociology and Social Anthropology, 2013, 1(2): 37-40