Rural Development
CHALLENGES & PROSPECTS
- Saroj K. Dash
Deputy Director, SIRD
Planning for Rural Development ….
• A complex process which envisages the development of
rural areas.
• Aims at all round development of people living in Rural
areas.
• Aims at improving Rural peoples’ livelihood in an
equitable and sustainable manner.
• Objectives of RD Programmes ….. alleviation of poverty
and un-employment through creation of basic, social
and economic infrastructure thereby bringing a quality
rural life.
Development Perspective
• Rural infrastructure and habitat
development
• Poverty reduction
• Provision of basic minimum services
• Employment generation
• Making available basic necessities
The Poorest and The Weakest
15% of World’s Population live on less than $1/day
40% of World’s Population live on less than $2/day
More than 850 million suffer from hunger
One in 7 people go to bed hungry
17000 children die every day from hunger
25% of the world’s poor live in India
73% of India’s poor live in rural areas
47%of Orissa” population-poor
Source : Policy Research Working Paper World Bank August 2008
850 (212)Million Hungry People
Where are they?
Who are they?
Others
(30m, 4%)
Sub-Saharan
Africa
(206m, 24%)
Pastoralists/
Fishermen (8%)
Asia & Pacific
(without India)
(312m, 37%)
Urban Poor
(20%)
Marginal
Farmers
(50%)
North East and
North Africa, (38m, 4%)
Latin America and
Caribbean (52m, 6%)
Landless
Rural Poor
(22%)
India
(212m, 25%)
Source : FAO estimates of 2006
Poverty in India
Poverty Ratio
60
55
51
44
40
38
35
30
27.5
20
Poverty Ratio
10
0
1973-74
1977-78
1983
1987-88
1993-94
2004-05
Years
Absolute Poor in India
350
Poor in million
Poverty Ratio (%)
50
329
321
300
323
264
261
320
307
252
244
232
250
302
221
200
150
100
50
Total
Rural
0
1973-74
1977-78
1983
1987-88
Years
Source : As per NSSO rounds India
1993-94
2004-05
Causes for Poverty and Vulnerability
Little control over their own Life And Destiny
Employment Insecurity and Low Incomes
Lack of Control over Common Resources
Lack of Assets and Entitlements
Low Productivity of Assets
Illiteracy, Poor Health and Nutritional Status
Lack of Access to Credit, Information & Technology
“Paradigm Shift in Approach”
aim at Universal
Coverage
are Time
Bound
follow
Participatory
Approach
are Demand
Driven
aim at
Empowerment of
the Poor
have built in
Transparency and
Accountability
India’s Vision for the future
India has outlined targets
based on the Millennium
Development Goals (MDG)
The first goal is to Eradicate
Extreme Poverty and Hunger
“Inclusive Growth” and
“Paradigm
Shift
in
Approach” are the Mainstay
Promoting Inclusive Growth
through Planned Programs
Coverage of
OTHERS
Coverage of
Coverage of Vulnerable
SCs,
(Children,
minorities)
WOMEN
Coverage of
STs,
Coverage of Women
R. D. PROGRAMS
… A Profile
RD programs can be divided in to four
categories :
• Programs for Self and Wage Employment.
• Programs for Rural Infrastructure & Minimum Basic
Needs.
• Programs for Natural Resources Management; and,
• Programs for Social Security.
PROGRAMS FOR SELF AND WAGE
EMPLOYMENT
Guaranteeing Wage Employment
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
Promoting Self Employment
Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
(SGSY)
PROGRAMS FOR RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE &
MINIMUM BASIC NEEDS
• Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana
(PMGSY)
• Swajaldhara
• Central Rural Sanitation Program
(CRSP/TSC)
• PURA (Provision of Urban Amenities in
Rural Areas)
• Integrated Rural Housing Scheme (IRHS)
–
–
–
–
Indira Awaas Yojana
Samagra Awaas Yojana
Pradhan Mantri Gramdoya Yojana (G.A)
Credit-cum-Subsidy Scheme
PROGRAMS FOR
NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
• Integrated Wasteland Development Program
(IWDP) (Watershed Development and Hariyali)
• Land Consolidation
• Land Reforms
• Computerization of Land Records
PROGRAMS FOR SOCIAL SECURITY NATIONAL
PROGRAM FOR SOCIAL ASSISTANCE (NSAP)
• Old Age Pension, Widow
Pension
• National Family Benefit
Scheme
• National Maternity Benefit
Scheme
• ICDS and Allied Services
• Subsidized Food for Old &
Destitute
• Annapoorna
• Antodaya
National Campaigns …
• National Rural Health
Mission
– Health for All – 2010
• Sarba Siksha Abhiyan
– Education for All – 2010
• Rajiv Gandhi Rural
Electrification Mission
• National Hort
Mission/RKVY
• And Many More …….
Challenges …
• Most programmes represented top-down, technobureaucratic solutions to poverty alleviation
• Peoples’ participation in planning, designing, implementation
and monitoring lacking
• In implementation most programmes reduced to chasing
paper targets
• Little or no gender focus – assumption that improvement in
status of family will automatically improve status of women
belied by experience
• Programmes conceptualized for women did not enable them
to pull themselves out of a disadvantageous situation
• No flexibility to adapt programme design to local conditions
Challenges….
•
•
•
•
High Adm. Costs of Program Implementation.
Low importance of Social Dev. Programmes to PRI.
Perils of centralisation of Program Administration.
Multiplicity of Agencies & Difficulties in
Coordination.
• Technical deptt. entrusted with routine jobs
• Lack of result oriented planning, Monitoring &
Evaluation
• Program Leakages
Prospects ….
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Organising the poor for greater participation
Unity of plan & policy
Emphasis on coordination rather than on control
Scheme to originate from PRIs and not state/ centre
Simplification of procedures/ norms
Adoption of package approach
PRIs as corporate bodies
Focus on HRD
Creation of satisfactory monitoring system to measure &
regulate performance during implementation
Prospects ….
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Create Rights and Legal Guarantees for
rural poor
Decentralise Planning and
Implementation
Set up well defined Systems with clear
Guidelines
Involve Partners and Stakeholders
Converge Schemes with Common
Objectives
Incentivise Achievements
Ensure Transparency and Accountability
Use IT platform for effective Monitoring
Establish Grievance Redressal Mechanism
Strengthening Grassroot Processes of Democracy
Large Scale Capacity
Building
Financial Inclusion
Social Audits
Grievance Redressal
Mechanism
ICT in MIS
Moving Towards the
Millennium Development Goals
Indicator
MDG Target
Value by 2015
Status
Proportion of population
poverty line
18.75(%)
Latest surveys show poverty at 27.50 (%) below
well on target to reaching the goal.
Literacy rate of
15-24 year olds
100.00 (%)
Literacy has gone up to over 76 (%)
for this age group.
Infant Mortality rate
(per 1000 live births)
27.00
India’s rate already has come down from
80 in 1990 to 58 in 2006.
Population with access
to water source (rural)
80.5 (%)
India has already touched 82 percent.
Population with access to
sanitation (rural)
72 (%)
It is expected to achieve the target by 2012
itself.
Source: MDG India Country Report, M/o Statistics & Programme
Implementation.
“ Be the change you
want to see in the
world”
Mahatma Gandhi 1927