Rural DevelopmentRural DevelopmentCHALLENGES & PROSPECTSCHALLENGES & PROSPECTS

- Saroj K. DashDeputy 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 hunger25% of the world’s poor live in India 73% of India’s poor live in rural areas47%of Orissa” population-poor

Source : Policy Research Working Paper World Bank August 2008

Others(30m, 4%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

(206m, 24%)

North East and North Africa, (38m, 4%)

Latin America and Caribbean (52m, 6%)

India(212m, 25%)

Asia & Pacific (without India)

(312m, 37%)

Where are they?Where are they?Pastoralists/Fishermen (8%)

Landless Rural Poor

(22%)

Urban Poor(20%)

Marginal Farmers(50%)

Who are they?Who are they?

850 (212)Million Hungry People

Source : FAO estimates of 2006

Poverty in IndiaPoverty RatioPoverty Ratio

5551

4438 35

27.5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1973-74 1977-78 1983 1987-88 1993-94 2004-05

Years

Pove

rty

Ratio

(%)

Poverty Ratio

Absolute Poor in IndiaAbsolute Poor in India

321 329 323 307 320 302261 264 252 232 244

221

0

50

100

150200

250300

350

1973-74 1977-78 1983 1987-88 1993-94 2004-05

Years

Poor

in m

illio

n

Total Rural

Source : As per NSSO rounds India

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 Demand Driven

are Time Bound

have built in Transparency and Accountability

follow Participatory Approach

aim at Empowerment of the Poor

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 Growththrough Planned Programs

Coverage of SCs,

Coverage of STs,

Coverage of OTHERS

(Children, minorities)

Coverage of Vulnerable

WOMEN

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.

Guaranteeing Wage EmploymentMahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)

Promoting Self EmploymentSwaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)

PROGRAMS FOR SELF AND WAGE EMPLOYMENT

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 FORNATURAL 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, techno-

bureaucratic 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

Social Audits ICT in MISGrievance Redressal Mechanism

Financial Inclusion Large Scale Capacity Building

Indicator MDG Target StatusValue by 2015

Proportion of population 18.75(%) Latest surveys show poverty at 27.50 (%) below poverty line well on target to reaching the goal.

Literacy rate of 100.00 (%) Literacy has gone up to over 76 (%)15-24 year olds for this age group.

Infant Mortality rate 27.00 India’s rate already has come down from(per 1000 live births) 80 in 1990 to 58 in 2006.

Population with access 80.5 (%) India has already touched 82 percent. to water source (rural)

Population with access to 72 (%) It is expected to achieve the target by 2012 sanitation (rural) itself.

Source: MDG India Country Report, M/o Statistics & Programme Implementation.

Moving Towards the Millennium Development Goals

“ Be the change you

want to see in the world”

Mahatma Gandhi 1927