The
robust demonstration of its strength by the Indian economy during the last
three years with an average growth rate of over eight percent has brought a
cheer to the planners and the Finance Minister. A plethora of central and state schemes and programmes are under
implementation for the benefit of the common man, but the growth of urban
conglomerates and the exodus from villages to cities indicate that the intended
benefits of development perhaps have not reached the needy. The United
Progressive Alliance government at the Centre has initiated eight flagship
programmes – Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Mid Day Meal Scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Drinking
Water Mission, Total Sanitation Campaign, National Rural Health Mission,
Integrated Child Development Services, National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme and Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. Budgetary allocations were enhanced greatly
for these programmes designed to improve living conditions and standards of an
average Indian in both rural and urban areas in last year’s budget. Nearly 87
percent of our villages had population in clusters of 2,000 or below and
account for over 50 percent of the country’s rural population. Their
empowerment is hindered because they are economically weak. Moreover, the
villages do not represent attractive markets for investment.
BHARAT NIRMAN –
A UNIQUE PROJECT
For
improving infrastructure and providing basic amenities to rural India, an
ambitious Bharat Nirman programme was launched in 2005-06. Under this unique
project physical targets were fixed in six core areas of infrastructure
development to be implemented by its terminal year i.e. 2009. The areas are: rural road connectivity,
accelerated irrigation benefit programme, rural drinking water supply, rural
housing, rural electrification and rural communication facilities. The budgetary allocation under the programme
was increased from 12,160 crore rupees to 18,696 crores to execute it in a
mission mode. Bharat Nirman programme
envisaged bringing an additional one crore hectares of unirrigated agricultural
land under assured irrigation; all weather road connectivity for all habitations
having a population of one thousand (500 in hilly and tribal areas); provision
of safe drinking water to all villages and habitations in the country;
electrification of all the remaining villages and hamlets; construction of
sixty lakh houses for the rural poor and telephone connectivity to all the
remaining villages in the country.
TARGETS
ACHIEVED SO FAR
The flagship National Rural
Employment Guarantee programme presently covers 200 districts spread over 27
states. The NREGA, which came into force in February 2006, is the latest
initiative in combating poverty. It envisages regeneration of the rural economy
by creating productive assets like water harvesting tanks, watershed
development and plantation of trees for soil and moisture conservation. But is
the Act equipped to meet its ambitious objectives?
Under the scheme 1.41 crore households
demanded employment, of which 1.37 crore households were provided with 100 days
of guaranteed employment under the Act upto 31.12.2006. The Rural Development Ministry plans to
expand the programme to 227 more districts.
Under the Rural Housing,
construction of 60 lakh houses was envisaged through Indira Awas Yojana but
during the current financial year, only 1,892 crore rupees have been spent out
of a total budgetary allocation of 2,908 crore rupees to build 5.74 lakh
houses, resulting in the achievement being far below the target.
During the current fiscal, only
47,495 habitations and 28,813 schools have been provided with safe drinking
water. The targets under the Bharat
Nirman programme are to cover 3,052 not covered habitations, 38,894 partially
covered and 1,47,576 slipped back habitations under the Accelerated Rural Water
Supply Programme.
According to the data available with
the Rural Development Ministry, so far one lakh kilometer road length has been
constructed providing connectivity to thirty thousand habitations. The government also claims that 569
districts in the country have been covered under the Total Sanitation Campaign.
FOCUS
AREAS
The
development of infrastructure – rural roads and bridges, irrigation facilities,
flood control, power supply, education, health, agriculture research and
extension services, rural markets and sanitation is essential for accelerated
economic development of rural areas.
More investment in rural infrastructure gives impetus to economic
activity, generates additional employment and income, facilitates and improves
delivery of social services and strengthens the democratic process and skills
among the rural poor. The Panchayats and the NGOs have a vital role to play in
the process of building up the infrastructure in villages.
While
the overall growth rate has crossed eight percent this year, the growth in
agriculture is sluggish resulting in high rate of inflation of over six
percent. The government had to press
the panic button to contain inflationary pressures by cutting duties on several
items and banning the export of essentials like onions and milk powder to meet
domestic demand. There is wide gap
between the wholesale and retail prices with middlemen consuming the best of
the pie. The suicide incidence among
the farmers is on the increase for reasons of high indebtedness, low
productivity, less remunerative agricultural produce prices, fragmentation of
land holdings because of population growth, harassment by the middlemen and
money lenders and the widening gap between the urban and rural incomes. A second Green Revolution is the urgent need
to improve rural economy alongwith several other steps, such as:
§
Easy accessibility to farm credit through public
and cooperative sector banks and financial institutions;
§
Rescheduling of agricultural credit to benefit
the small and marginal farmers and below poverty line families and farm
labour. The loan waiver as demanded by
political circles with vested interests and some kisan unions can lead to
corruption and a tendency to take more credit.
§
Urgent review of Special Economic Zone policy to
remove discontent among the farming community. SEZs may be set up in barren,
saline or unproductive lands. Farmers
should be compensated at prevailing market rates. Those families who are
rendered landless by acquisition of their land should get guaranteed employment
and at least twenty percent share in the enterprise.
§
Easy market accessibility to farm produce,
including major crops like wheat and rice, vegetables, fruits and poultry to
reduce the gap between the wholesale and the retail prices. Farmers’ cooperatives should be encouraged
to build the capacity of the small and marginal farmers to withstand the
lecherous tendencies of the money lenders, commission agents and others engaged
in the farming sector. Prime Minister
Dr. Mamohan Singh’s idea of creating Rural Hubs can go a long way in the growth
of income for the farming community
§
Strict monitoring of the ongoing schemes and
programme with mid term correction, if needed.
§
Proper maintenance of the one-lakh road
connectivity created in rural areas.
§
Ensuring quality education and sanitary and
health facilities to the rural masses.
It should be ensured that the
schools and primary health centres in rural areas are well equipped with both
men and material, even in the remote and the farthest corners.
AMBITIOUS
TARGETS
The
Planning Commission has set ambitious targets of generating seven crore new job
opportunities during the 11th Plan period and to double the per
capita income during the next ten years to remove poverty and improve living
conditions of the people. This could be achieved only if the growth rate
crosses ten percent. The rural economy
has to grow at double the present pace of growth of less than three
percent. The task is gigantic but not
unachievable. Expectations of the rural
community are high. There is the need
to reduce the number of schemes and programmes under various heads of
development and make them umbrella programmes for better implementation and
monitoring with greater involvement of the Panchayati Raj Institutions to
achieve total success.
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SV/RTS/SK
SS-75/SF-75/20.02.2007
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(Release ID :24929)