Rural Development

Rural Development has been receiving increasing attention of the governments across the world. In the Indian context, rural development assumes special significance for two important reasons. First, about two-thirds of the population still lives in villages and there cannot be any progress so long as rural areas remain backward. Second, the backwardness of the rural sector would be a major impediment to the overall progress of the economy. The industrial sector cannot think of sufficient demand for its products so long as the rural incomes are low. The rural areas suffer from poor infrastructural facilities. The villages are yet to emerge as the main centres of production activity. The proclivity is to produce goods in urban areas, even to meet the basic needs of rural consumers. This apart, the rural population requires not one but a few inputs and services. These have to be provided at the right time and in the right sequence. This demands the right kind of co-ordination amongst agencies extending help to the rural sector. Given the unfavourable power structure in rural India, the benefits of the Revolution or even the anti-poverty programmes do not reach to benefit the rural population. The workers and small producers in India cannot put in their best in an inequitous atmosphere. Therefore, production suffers. Also, the rural sector cannot take advantage of opportunities available so long as the institutions are dominated by the rich. The rural people should take active part in all stages of the planning process. At present, they look up to the government for each and everything. This dependency syndrome needs to be dispelled. People`s participation in the development sphere is crucial. The people must be made fully aware of the opportunities available and how to take advantage of them. Contents : Part One: Rural Development: An Overview 1. Rural Development: Nature and Scope 2. Approaches to Rural Development 3. Gandhian Approach to Rural Development 4. The Political Economy of Rural Poverty 5. Rural Unemployment in India 6. Rural Migration 7. Rural Development and The Eighth Plan 8. Rural Development in The Ninth Plan (1997-2002) 9. Rural Development in The Tenth Plan 10. Rural Development in The Eleventh Plan, 2007-12 Part Two: Agriculture and Allied Programmes 11. Agriculture and Indian Economy 12. Food And Non-Food Crops and Trends in Yields 13. The Green Revolution 14. Food Security in India 15. Irrigation and Indian Agriculture 16. Trends in Agricultural Exports 17. Agricultural Price Policy of India 18. Forest Resources of India 19. Rural Industrialisation in India 20. Technology For Rural Development Part Three: Rural Power Structure 21. Land Reforms in India 22. Plight of Agricultural Labourers 23. Conditions of Rural Artisans 24. Organising The Rural Poor Part Four: Special Schemes 25. Rationale of Special Schemes 26. Employment Generation Programmes 27. National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGY) 28. Integrated Rural Development Programme 29. Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) 30. Training Rural Youth for Self-Employment (TRYSEM) 31. Tribal Development Programmes 32. Development of Women and Children In Rural Areas (DWCRA) 33. Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Rural Development Programmes Part Five: Rural Banking in India 34. Rural Indebtedness and Rural Credit 35. The Cooperatives 36. The Commercial Banks 37. The Differential Interest Rate Scheme 38. The Lead Bank Scheme 39. Service Area Approach 40. Regional Rural Banks 41. National Bank For Agriculture and Rural Development 42. Techniques of Lending For Agriculture 43. The Problem of Overdues 44. Microfinance in India Part Six: Rural Delivery System 45. Agricultural Marketing in India 46. Rural Development Administration and Panchayati Raj Institutions 47. People`s Participation in Rural Development 48. Rural Development: Role of Voluntary Agencies 49. Public Distribution System in The Rural Context 50. Basic Needs of Rural India 51. Communication for Rural Development Part Seven: Rural Development − Experiences of Select Countries 52. Rural Development in China 53. Rural Development in Pakistan 54. Rural Development in Bangladesh 55. Rural Development in Sri Lanka 56. Rural Development in The Philippines 57. Rural Development in Tanzania