rural development experiment in India

1. Rajeev Kumar M.S.W., M.Phil., UGC-SRF
UGC-Senior Research Fellow
IIT Kharagpur
Rural Development Experiment in
India

2. “Just as the whole universe
is contained in the self, so is
India contained in the
villages.”
-Mahatma Gandhi

3. Rural Development in India
 Stage 1- Pre Independence era (1866-
1947)
 Stage 2- Post Independence era
(1947-1953)
 Stage 3- Community Development
and Extension Service era (1953 -
1960)
 Stage 4- Intensive Agricultural
Development era (1960 – till date)

4. Indian before independence
 As India was under the British rule for 200
years,
their policies were aimed in revenue collection
and their policies were not concerned with the
rural development.
 By introducing the Zamindari system they
collected as much revenue as they could from
the peasants.
 Therefore, the system left the peasants
vulnerable and zamindars did very little to
improve the condition of the village.

5. continued
 Britishers extracted minerals from rural land to
use in their country Britain.
 They forced farmers to grow indigo for their own
benefit.
 They never spend a penny on developing the
rural farmland and only exploited its resources.
 After the country attained independence, this
system was abolished, but the conditions of the
peasants were yet to transform completely

6. The Famine Commission 1901
 The imperial Agricultural research Institute was established in
Pusa Bihar, which was beginning of organized agricultural
research in India
 An Agricultural College with well equipped experimental farm
was also started at Pusa.
 Scientific and expert staff in the capacityof Horticulturists and
Agronomists were appointed.
 The Indian Agriculture Service was instituted at the centre.
 The Agricultural Research Institutes were started from 1920.

7. Daniel Scheme 1903
Model Villages in Sunderban
 In 1903 Sir Daniel Hemilton made a scheme of
creating model villages in Bengal on
cooperative principles.
 He organized a cooperative credit society
and a central cooperative bank in 1915 and
started the work of rural upliftment in
Madras.
 Mr Daniel established a Rural reconstruction
Institute in 1934, which provided training
facilities in cottage and subsidiary industires

8. Shriniketan Project 1908
 Founded by Rabindra Nath Tagore for village
development.
 Main aim: All round development of rural
people.
 Objectives:
1. To help the rural people for the developmentof
cottage industry.
2. To develop their resources so that they may
know new scientific methods of farming.
3. Development of cattle.
4. Development of multi purpose primary level
education
5. To help self help initiative and rural leadership.

9. activities
 Sanitation in villages.
 Adult Education.
 To arrange campaign for the eradication of
 Malaria, TB and other infectious disease.
 To manage the pure drinking water.
 To manage saving for famine and flood.
 Development of Cottage industries.

10. Method of work
 Survey of selected villages.
 Foundation of social welfare centre in each
village. Worker used to bring the rural
problems upto this centre and solutions were
provided to farmers. It was two way process.
 To manage the medicines which may be
available to rural people at proper time.
 Demonstration of improved practices.
 Community centers.

11. Economic conference of Mysore
 The Economic Conference set up in 1911 was the
brain child of Sir M. Visvesvaraya.
 It was an association of Officials of the concerned
Departments and likeminded enlightened citizens of
the
State.
 It enabled for the scientific establishment of unique
industries in the State. Survey of resources,
constitution of various committees for the
establishment of industries, application of new
inventions and technical skills were the features of
this institution.
 The all-round developments of the State in the field of
education, industry and commerce were the outcome
of the unique experiment introduced in the State.

12. Economic conference of Mysore
 The Economic Conference set up in 1911 was the
brain child of Sir M. Visvesvaraya.
 It was an association of Officials of the concerned
Departments and likeminded enlightened citizens of
the
State.
 It enabled for the scientific establishment of unique
industries in the State. Survey of resources,
constitution of various committees for the
establishment of industries, application of new
inventions and technical skills were the features of
this institution.
 The all-round developments of the State in the field of
education, industry and commerce were the outcome
of the unique experiment introduced in the State.

13. continued
 Economic Conference played a vital role in the all-
round development of the State.
 It was like a model to the administrative machinery to
work in a scientific manner by applying the modern
techniques.
 It suggested constructive measures on Western
method for the development of the State.
 It was an unique experiment in our country during
British rule.
 Some of the industries by the suggestions of this
institution involved western intellectuals and their
service.
 Machines from the west were imported to set up

14.  The rural upliftment programme on a mass
scale was firstly started by Mr. F. L. Brayne in
Gurgaon district of Punjab in 1920.
 Objectives:
1. To deal with whole life of the village.
2. The work should be started in whole district
at a time.
3. Development work should be taken at
campaign level.

15. Area of work
 Agriculture development and increasing food
production.
 Health improvement.
 Village sanitation.
 Social improvement.
 Emphasis on women education.
 Organization of cooperative societies

16. Method of work
 Propaganda was done by drama and music, to
mould the human thoughts.
 Guides were appointed to express the
programme at village level and to help the
rural people.
 The teacher of village schools used to teach
the village people the importance of
programme and dignity of labor.

17. Gandhian Era: Constructive
Work
 Village self-government, self-
reliance & self-help
 Reinforced the strength of
voluntarism
 Cooperation & mutual aid
 Decentralization, non-violence, and
moral action.
 Development of village crafts and
village industries

18.  Mahatma Gandhi started this programme in
1920 at Savarmati.
 Later it was extended to Wardha in 1938.
 Principle: “Helping the people to
themselves.
 Objectives:
1. To serve the under privileged villagers.
2. To make the villagers self sufficient and
self reliant.
3. To develop the power and courage in rural
people, so that they stand up in opposite of
oppression and injustice
help

19.  Started in Tamil Nadu in 1928 by Spencer
Hetch under the sponsorship of YMCA and
Christian Church.
 Five fold programme: Mental, Physic, Spirit,
mind, economic and social aspect of life.
 Area covered was 100 villages.
 Objectives:
1. Self Help and cooperation.
2. Opening the demonstration centers.
3. There should be an voluntary association.
4. Helping people to help in their own work.

20.  Poultry
 Cultivation by improved methods.
 Bee keeping.
 Cattle industry.

21.  To bring out the serving habit in people.
 The members of voluntary association were
staying in villages for few days to work
with them in same condition.
 Rural dramas for recreation.
 Poultry and Bee keeping programmes were
launched.
 Tour, Camps, Exhibitions and melas were
organized.

22. On the basis of their
backwardness.
Possibilities for creating the
production of handloom clothes and other
cottage industries.
Objectives:
1.To tackle the rural problem as a whole.
2.Formation of Panchayats and
organization of cooperatives.
3.Long term plan to make the area self
sufficient through Agricultural, irrigational and
livestock improvement.
4.Development of Khadi and cottage industry.
FIRKA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
(1946) MADRAS
SELECTION OF FIRKA

23. NILOKHERI EXPERIMENT
 The programme was originally started to rehabilitate 7000
displaced persons from Pakistan and later integrated with the
100 surrounding villages into what came to be a rural cum urban
township.
 It was built around the vocational training centre that was
transferred from Kurukshetra, in July, 1948 to the 1100 acres of
swampy land on the Delhi-Ambala highway.
 The central figure of this project was shri S.K. Dey, later Union
minister of Commuinity Development and cooperatives upto
1965.
 The scheme called "Mazdoor Manzil" aimed at self-sufficiency
forthe rural-cum-urban township in all the essential requirements
of like.
 The colony had school, an agricultural farm, polytechnic training
centre, dairy, poultry farm, piggery farm, horticulture garden,
printing press, garment factory, engineering workshop, soap

24. ETAWAH PROJECT
 The idea of this pilot project was conceived in
1945 but was put into action in September, 1948
at Mahewa Village about 11 miles away from
Etawah in United Province.
 Lt. Col. Albert Mayer of U.S.A. was the Originator
of this project.
 Initially 64 villages were selected which then
increased to 97. The Government of UP and
Point-4 programme of U.S.A. provided help for
this project.

25. Objectives:
 1. To see the extent of improvement possible in
an average district.
2. To see how quickly results could be achieved.
3. To ascertain the permanency and applicability
of results to other areas.
4. To find out methods of gaining and growing
confidence of the villagers.
5. To build up a sense of community living.
6. To build up a spirit of self help in the villagers.

26. CONTINUED
 Activities:
 1. Broadening the mental horizons of the villagers
by educative and persuasive approach.
2. Training of village level workers.
3. Co-ordination between Departments and
Agencies.
4. Conducting demonstrations.
5. Covered subjects like crop yields, soil
conservations, animal husbandry sanitation and
social education.
 Strong Points:
 1. Villager’s participation.
2. Through planning and integrated approach.

27. The Weakness of the above rural
Experiments
 The attempts were mostly based on
individual initiative inspired by
humanitarian considerations.
 Government backing and financial
support was not in sufficient measures.
 The attempts were mostly isolated,
uneven and discontinuous.
 The staff employed was inadequate,
inexperience untrained and hurriedly
selected, ignorant of local conditions
who could hardly command any respect
or influence in the village.

28.  The objective were ill-defined or lopsided in the
development. Little attempt was made to study the
peculiar conditions of the villages and to adapt the
programme to its need.
 Plans, programmes and organisations were lacking,
weak or unbalanced.
 Parallel, programmes of supplies, services, guidance and
supervision were not developed.
 The need for proper methods and skills of approach to
the task was not fully realised.
 Research and evaluation was lacking.
 Association and co-ordination with other development
departments was very limited.
 The involvement of village people in thinking, planning
and executing village development was not properly
achieved.
 From the results of the past efforts we can learn that
public participation is an integral part of any programme
for its success. This can very well be brought out by
extension education only.

29. Post Independence
development
 economic betterment of people
 greater social transformation
 increased participation of people in the rural
development programmes
 decentralization of planning
 better enforcement of land reforms
 greater access to credit
From capital centered approach to
people centered approach

30. Community Development
Programme
Launched on 2nd October in 1952 .
Its basic elements were:
 Focus on individual cultivators
 Restructuring and re-organizing district
administration
 Provision of facilities for agricultural production
through cooperatives and block agencies
 Provision of welfare facilities by block

31. Community Projects
 Projects covered an area of about 150-500
sq.miles
 About 300 villages and a population of about 2
lakhs
 Divided into three development blocks
 Village Level Worker (Gram sevaks)-basic level
extension functionary in the Community
Development Programme.

32. Drawbacks of the CDP
 Uneven distribution of the benefits of the programme.
 Absence of clearly defined priority in the programmes.
 The inability of the CDP to recognise and solve the
inherent coflicts in the inter and intra target groups.
 Lack of mass participation
 More bureaucratic. Central planning Response of the
government of create local institutions did not
succeed. Without dismantling the power structure in
the village, the devolution of a authority under
democratic decentralisation, super imposed in a
social system, resulted in the complete drying up of all
efforts in majority of rural masses.

33. National Extension Service
 Formulated in April 1953
 Inaugurated one year after the 55 community
Projects, that is, on October 2, 1953.
 Major development in the sphere of rural
reconstruction in India
The idea behind the National Extension Service
Programme was to cover the entire country within
a period of about 10 years, that is to say, by
1960-61.

34. DEMOCRATIC DECENTRALISATION –
PANCHAYAT RAJ
Team headed by Balwant Rai Mehta, Chief Minister of
Gujarat
Recommendations:
 Effective administrative decentralisation for the
implementation of the programme like CDP
 Elected and integrated local self-government system
ordinarily of 3 tired bodies from village level to block
level and then to district level
 Remarkable wakening among the rural people, as a
result of which the villager became conscious of his
own rights and developed the urge to improve his
living standards.

35. Shift in the rural development
strategy
 Food situation became alarming
 Strategy in favour of increasing agricultural
production
 Institutional credit flew more towards large and
resourceful farmers
 Neglect of small farmers, land less labourers,
tenants and artisans
 Led to the accentuation of regional disparities
 Economic inequalities among different sections of
the population

36. Another shift in the strategy
Deliberate efforts to flow development benefits to the
poorer sections and the backward areas
Schemes launched:
 Small Farmers Development Agency (SFDA)
 Marginal Farmer & Agricultural Labourers Agency
(MFALA)
 Minimum Needs Programme (MNP)
 Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP)
 Desert Development Programme (DDP)
 Hill Area Development Programme (HADP)

37. Area Development Programme
 Backward Area Development
 Command Area development
Programme
 Drought Prone Area Programme
 Hill Area Development Agency
 Tribal Area Development Programme

38. Green Revolution
 Implementation of land reform
 Active participation of peasants
 Record grain output of 131 million tonnes in
1978/79
 By 1980 India attained self sufficiency in food with
a surplus of about 30 million
 Created plenty of jobs
This established India as one of the world's biggest
agricultural producers

39. Co-operative Movement
 Helped the poor peasants to get high quality
seeds, modern agricultural machines and low
cost fertilizers.
 Helped the peasants to sell their products.
 Played a key role in making the Green Revolution
a success
 Operation Flood
 Anand Model

40. Integrated Rural Development
Programme
 The apparent failure of the CDP was the main reason
for the evolution of the IRDP.
 Introduced during 1976-77 with the selection of 20
districts
 IRDP envisages the integration of methodology and
approach of both beneficiary oriented programmes as
well as area development programmes.
It intensified development efforts for the purpose of
poverty alleviation as well as increasing productivity.

41. TRAINING OF RURAL YOUTH FOR
SELF-EMPLOYMENT (TRYSEM)
 Launched in August, 1979
 Provide technical skills to rural youth
 Self-employment in the fields of agriculture and allied
activities, industries, services and trade
Inadequate employment opportunities for the TRSYEM trainees
have been attributed to three main factors:
 Adequate and timely assistance under IRDP not given at
several times to them to start their own productive activities.
 Systematic surveys for identifying the potential for new
productive ventures are not being carried out by most of the
DRDAs.
 The rapport between the DRDAs and BDOs on one side and
employers on the other side has not been strong and fruitful to
provide placement of increased number of the trained youth.

42. Ministry of Rural Development
In 1999 Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment was renamed as
Ministry of Rural Development
Acting as a catalyst effecting the change in rural areas through the
implementation of wide spectrum of programmes:
 Rural Connectivity Programme
 Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana
 Employment Assurance Scheme
 Indira Awas Yojna
 National Social Assistance Programme
 Swarna Jayanthi Gram Swarozgar Yojna

43. Modern Era of Development
 NGO movement
 Microfinance Movement (MFI)
 Self-help Groups (SHG)
 Rural Banking
 Rural Insurance
 Foreign Donors
 Rural Common Minimum Program

44. India- The Road Ahead
 Reducing poverty remains India’s greatest
challenge
 Rural development is essential to raise the
incomes of the poor
 Dramatic improvements in infrastructure and the
investment climate are required
 Basic services, such as improved health and
education, need to reach all India's citizens
 HIV/AIDS has the potential to upset much of the
India’s recent progress
 Environmental sustainability needs to be ensured