What is Rural Development ?

Rural Development may be understood both as :

A Goal

A Strategy

• Both tend to work in a mutually reinforcing way.

RD as a Goal
• RD goes with broader development goals
• RD is attainment of integrated development and
transformation of rural areas focusing on :
 Human Development & Poverty Eradication,
 Sustainable Economic Growth (Agri, Allied & NF)

 Equality (social, economic & political) for all

 Empowerment of the weak and disadvantaged
 Emancipation, and Dignity
RD as a Strategy:
- Attainment of RD goals in a timely and desirable way needs
strategizing.
• In developing countries like India, RD has to be addressed
separately from the Macro growth ‘process given peculiar
challenges of rural areas and the failure of ‘Trickle down’.
• The ‘Rural Question’ persists; Despite the developmental
efforts of over 70 years, Rural is not ‘withering’ away
significantly any sooner (impasse);
• The persisting Rural Question is the result of the tangle of
Double Deficit:
1. Development Deficit
2. Transformational Deficit
Development Deficit:
There is persistence of considerable poverty and
deprivation
The development interventions have made only limited
impact given the political economy
- Low priority for Rural development
- Reformist interventions & Neoliberalism
- Lackadaisical Implementation of RDIs
Poverty, deprivations, inequality, poor living standards
continue to afflict a significant proportion of rural
population (more so the weaker sections) leading to rural-
urban gaps.
 Growing Rural-Urban Disparities
Socio-Economic Indicators Rural Urban

1. Poverty Ratio % (2011-12) 25.7 13.1

2. SC/ST Poverty Ratio % (2011-12) 31.5/45.3 21.7/24.1

3. Monthly Per Capita Expenditure (Rs. 2011-12)* 1287 2477

4. Life Expectancy at Birth(2012-16) 67.4 72.2

5. Literacy Rate % (2017-18)@ 73.5 87.7

6. Literacy Rate % Male & Female(2017-18)@ 81.5/61.0 92.2/82.8

7. % of Graduates (>15 years) (2017-18)@ 5.7 21.7

8. Households with Internet Facility (%) (2017-18) 14.9 42.0

9. HHs(%)with Improved Drinking water (2015-16) 89.3 91.1

10. HHs(%) with Improved Toilet Facility(2015-16) 36.7 70.3

11. HHs with Pucca Houses(2015-16) 41.2 84.5

Transformational Deficit:
Many social and economic structures (traditional/pre-
capitalist) which are inimical to progress continue to persist
hindering transformation.
Deficits in Transformation of Lewisian and Marxian kind
persists
Lewisian Structural Transformation of resolving the
dichotomy of traditional and modern sectors by shifting the
rural surplus labour is not materialising easily.
- Industrialisation is found highly inadequate in developing
countries to absorb large chunk of labour
- Jobless growth is also not helping
Agrarian Question’ (Marxian): visualises transition of
pre-capitalist formations into Capitalist mode absorbing
peasantry & labour through primitive accumulation(like
in Western countries).
- Though capitalism in India has made inroads in varying
degree in agriculture but lacks dynamism for any
radical shift
- Some consider Capitalism as incapable of addressing the
rural question.
- But worsening agrarain & livelihood crisis (growing
informalisation of labour; farmers suicides) call for
resolution of AQ through more deliberate RD strategy
 Persisting Rural Realties
1. Rural Population (2011) 68.8%(833 million)
2. Rural Workforce in Agricultre(2017-18) 59.4%

3. Small & Margi Holdings (2015-16) 86.07 %

4. Agri & Allied GDP Share 15.23%

(2004-05 to 2014-15 )
5. Agri & Allied Growth Rate 3.72 %
(2004-05 to 2014-15 )
6. Annual Earnings (Rs.2011-12):
Agri labor Rs 32,311
Farmer Rs 78,264
Non-Agri worker Rs.246,514

7. Farmers’ Suicides(1995-2015) 3.21 lakh

 Hence, the need and relevance of rural
development as a distinct strategy to
attain desirable goals of development
and transformation for rural
population

Better and Effective RDIs needed for a

balanced Rural-Urban development .