Lecture No.

12- Concepts,
Connotations, Policies and
Strategies of Rural
Development
By
Dr. S. Srivara Buddhi
Bhuvaneswari
• Rural development : to denote the actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of
living in countryside and remote villages.

• Agricultural activities may be prominent

• Economic activities would relate to the primary sector, production of foodstuffs and
raw materials.

• Rural development actions mostly aim at the social and economic development of the areas.

• These programs are usually top-down from the local or regional authorities, NGOs, national
governments or international development organizations.

• The main aim of the rural government policy is to develop the undeveloped villages. To
develop a country not only industrialization is sufficient but also the every common man has
to survive.
• Rural development is an integrated concept of growth

• Poverty elimination has been of paramount concern in all the consequent five year plans.

Rural Development programmes comprise the following:

• Provision of basic infrastructure facilities in the rural areas e.g. schools, health facilities,
roads, drinking water, electrification, net connectivity etc.

• Improving agricultural productivity in rural areas.

• Provision of social services like health and education for socio-economic development.

• Implementing schemes for the promotion of rural industry for increasing agriculture
productivity, providing rural employment etc.

• Assistance to individual families and Self Help Groups (SHGs) living below poverty line by
 Definition of Rural Development

• According to World Bank: Rural development is a strategy designed to improve

the economic and social life of a specific group of people by extending the
benefits of development to the poorest among those who seek livelihood in the
rural areas.

• According to Finance Ministry : Rural development is systematic and integrated

use of national resources enabling every person to engage himself in production
and social useful occupation and earn income that will meet at least the basic
needs.

• According to National Commission on Agriculture : Rural development means

development of an area and the people through optimum development and
utilization of local resources by bringing about necessary institutions, structures
and attitudinal changes and by delivering package of services to improve all fields
of the rural poor and rural weak.
Connotation of Rural Development

 Overall development of rural areas with a view to improve the quality of life of rural people.
 It is a comprehensive and multidimensional concept and encompasses the development of agriculture
and allied activities, village and cottage industries and crafts, socio-economic infrastructure,
community services and facilities, the human resources in rural areas.
 As a phenomenon, rural development is the end-result of interactions between various physical,
technological, economic, socio-cultural and institutional factors.
 As a discipline, it is multi-disciplinary in nature, representing an intersection of agricultural, social,
behavioural and management sciences.
 As a strategy, it is designed
 to improve the economic and social well-being of a specific group of people the rural poor (small
scale farmers, tenants, and the landless).
 to enable a specific group of people, poor rural women and men, to gain for themselves and their
children more of what they want and need.
 to demand and control more of the benefits of rural development.
‘A process leading to sustainable improvement in
the quality of life of rural people, especially the
poor.’
• The prime goal of rural development is to improve the quality of life of the rural people
• by alleviating poverty through the instrument of self employment and wage
employment programmes,
• by providing community infrastructure facilities such as drinking water, electricity, road
connectivity, health facilities, rural housing and education
• and promoting decentralization of powers to strengthen the Panchayat Raj institutions.
• The Chief Minister's 15 Point Programme is a visionary programme which seeks to
make Tamil Nadu the best State in the country by way of creating growth opportunities
in rural areas and eradicating rural poverty. To achieve the above objectives, the
following priorities and thrust areas have been identified during the Tenth Five Year
Plan period.
A. Centrally Sponsored Schemes

I. Poverty Alleviation programmes

1. Swarnajayanthi Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)
2. Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY)

II. Rural Housing

1. Indira Awaas Yojana
2. Credit cum Subsidy Scheme
3. Innovative Stream for Rural House and Habitat Development Scheme
4. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) (Rural Shelter Component)

III. Member of Parliament Local Area Development Programme

IV. Pradhan Manthri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)
V. National Project on Biogas Development
VI. Eleventh Finance Commission Grant
VII. Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana (RSVY)
B. State schemes

1. Construction of office buildings for Village Administrative Officers

2. Village Fair Development Scheme
3. Village Self-sufficiency Scheme
4. Member of Legislative Assembly Constituency Development Scheme
(MLACD)
5. State Finance Commission Grant
6. Integrated Sanitary Complex for Women