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During the last few years foremost priority has been accorded to development in rural areas. The Rural Development Programmes have been streamlined and strengthened. Number of initiatives have been taken by this Ministry in recent years for the creation of social and economic infrastructure in rural areas to bridge the urban - rural divide as well as to provide food security and to fulfill other basic needs of the rural poor. To meet the requirement of funds for rural development, the allocation of funds for the implementation of various Schemes has been enhanced to Rs. 76,774 crore as against Rs.42,874 crore during the Ninth Plan. The approved outlay for the Ministry of Rural Development for the current year i.e 2005-06 is Rs.24,480 crore.
Self-Help Groups
For the development to be in consonance with the people’s wishes and aspirations, the emphasis has also been shifted towards participation of people in development process through Self-Help Groups and Panchayati Raj Institutions. Gram Sabhas have been assigned important responsibilities and aim is to make it a vibrant forum of self governance. Two main schemes, one for providing wage employment – ‘ Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana’(SGRY) and the other for providing self employment’ Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana’ (SGSY) to rural poor are under implementation to face the biggest challenge of unemployment in the rural areas of the country.
National Food for Work Programme has been launched in 150 backward districts of the country and Rs. 2020 crores and 20 lakh tones of foodgrains were released to the States in the last financial year. The allocation under the programme has been more than doubled this year. The total cash allocation for wage employment in the current year which include National Food for Work Programme and Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana is Rs. 10,000 crores and 100 lakh tonnes of foodgrains.
The National Employment Guarantee Bill has been introduced in Lok Sabha and is under consideration of the Parliament. It is hoped that very soon, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme will be launched.
The Ministry has decided to launch a pilot programme for skill development under SGSY for the unemployed youths in the rural areas.
During 2004-05, as a part of marketing initiative, 12 SARAS Fairs were organized in New Delhi and State capitals to showcase and promote the products of Self Help Groups ( SHGs).
Seven pilot projects have been launched as part of the Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) to field test the strategy and Rs. 10 crore has been sanctioned during 2004-05 to arrest the migration of rural populace to the urban areas.
Ensuring rural connectivity is an important and integral part of overall development strategy of the Development of villages. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a 100 percent Centrally sponsored Scheme was launched on December 25, 2000. As per the latest estimates, about 1.72 lakh Unconnected Habitations in the country are to be taken up under the PMGSY covering total length of 3,68,500 kms. So far 41,068 road works of length 1,24,792.83 kms, covering 39,574 Habitations have been cleared for taking up under the programme. Out of this, 25,478 road works covering 69,013 kms have been completed. A cumulative expenditure of Rs. 9882 crore has been incurred so far.
Bharat Nirman
The President of India, in his address to the Joint Sitting of Parliament on February 25, 2005, announced a major plan for rebuilding rural India and called it Bharat Nirman. The Finance Minister, in his Budget Speech of February 28, 2005, has identified Rural Roads as one of the six components of Bharat Nirman and has set the goal for the Government to provide connectivity to all villages with a population of 1000 (500 in the case of hilly or tribal areas) with all weather road by 2009.
One of the major schemes being implemented by the GOI in the rural areas is Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) in order to provide assistance to rural people below the poverty line belonging to the Scheduled Casts/Scheduled Tribes, freed bonded labourers and non-Scheduled Castes/Scheduled tribes categories in the construction of dwelling units and upgradation of existing unserviceable kutcha houses by providing grants-in aid. Under IAY around 131 lakh houses have been constructed so far since its inception with an expenditure of Rs.23461.31 crores (upto 20th July, 2005).
Hariyali
A new initiative ‘Hariyali’ empowering the village community through Panchayati Raj Institutions to undertake area development programmes on watershed basis with financial and technical support from the Government has been launched. Special emphasis is being given on rainwater harvesting and desalting of ponds under watershed projects.
States have been requested to take more interest in the implementation of Land reform measures and to ensure greater access of landless rural poor to land. States have also been instructed to distribute surplus land and prevent alienation of tribal holdings.
The Government envisages provision of safe drinking water to all rural habitations. The Government has revamped the Rural Water Supply Programme, which, inter-alia envisages institutionalisation of community-based rural water supply systems by incorporating the following basic principles for ensuring people’s participation: (i) adoption of demand-driven, responsive and adaptable approach of villages to ensure their full participation in the project in the choice of scheme design, control of finances and management arrangements; (ii) shifting the role of Government from direct service delivery to that of facilitator; and (iii) partial cost sharing either in cash or kind or both and 100 per cent responsibility of operation and maintenance by end-users. Sixty-seven districts all over the country have been identified for implementing the reform projects on a pilot basis. The reform initiative launched has now been scaled to Swajaldhara to cover the entire country. Status of coverage of rural habitations according to the information received from States till May 25, 2005 is 4587 not covered and 55470 partially covered rural habitations ( of Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP), 1999). During 2004-05 according to the information received up to 28th June 2005, 20297 not covered and 47899 partially covered habitations have been covered with drinking water facilities.
Rural Sanitation
Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) approach emphasises awareness-building component and meets the demand through alternate delivery mechanism. School sanitation has been introduced as a major component to encourage wider acceptance of sanitation among rural masses. The States/UTs are required to formulate project proposals under the TSC in order to claim central government assistance. Under the TSC, so far 507 projects in 30 States/UTs have been sanctioned with the total project outlay of about Rs. 5086.33 crore. The Central, State and beneficiary/Panchayat contributions are about Rs. 3047.00 crore, Rs. 1133.52 and Rs. 905.81 crore respectively. The components sanctioned in the 507 projects are (a) construction of 417 lakh individual household latrines; (b) 505328 toilets for Schools ; (c) 32585 Community Sanitary Complexes; (d) 138166 toilets for Balwadis/ Anganwadis and (e) 4030 Rural Sanitary Marts/Production Centres.
The Ministry of Rural Development is also making all efforts to keep a constant watch over the proper utilization of funds released under various schemes. Great emphasis has been laid on monitoring and evaluation of all Rural Development Programmes to ensure optimum utilization of resources.
** Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development
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