India is predominantly an agrarian country and is a vast country containing more than five lakh villages. Seventy percent of the population of India lives in villages. Indeed, “the soul of India is in the toil of the rural areas”. Hence it becomes important that proportionate amount of attention and funds be spent for betterment of the rural folk. The welfare of India depends upon the prosperity of the villages.
It is a matter of regret that in spite of the village population being in majority, they have been lagging behind in the fields of education, civic amenities, medical facilities and economic well-being even after seventy years of independence. Most of our villages do not have even the basic amenities of life. There are no proper transport facilities, no good schools, no sanitation, no drains and the main problem is that the people here are illiterate and ignorant. And needless to say they are badly exploited by the money-lenders and the unscrupulous politicians. Lack of facilities in rural areas sometimes leads urban migration.
How to improve rural areas?
The development of rural areas can be attained by adopting the following strategies:
- Infrastructure Development: Often villages in our countries are not in sync with the urban areas because of bad connectivity. Eventually, this leads to segregation and a social divide between urban and rural areas. So, construction of road and improving public transportation can have a great impact on the rural people.
- Education: Another important element that needs improvement is education. Even after so many years of Independence, stigmas like caste system still have a grip on rural people. Quality education can help in achieving the goal of eradication of such social evils. Literacy rate is lower in rural areas when compared to their urban counterparts.
- Women and child welfare: The objective of this is to improve the social, economic, health and nutritional status of women, to improve the physical, mental, intellectual and nutritional status of children.
- Providing employment opportunity: It is the most effective way to tackle poverty. Employment provides people with financial freedom thereby improving their standard of living.
- Implementing land and technological reforms: Land reform refers to the redistribution of land across the society in order to promote equity, reduce poverty and provide social justice. It ensures that the land is not fixed in the hands of few. Technological reforms require modern technologies like organic farming should be incorporated to improve outputs and profits.
- Loans for agriculture: Lastly, people should be given access to easy credit and loans by improving the banking system in rural areas. Providing farmers with a loan can help them buy farm equipment, cover land costs, refinance older loans, land improvement and in many other ways.
The village uplift Programme is designed to bring great progress. However, much remains to be done. Our national government launched a number of projects for the development of the villages. Community Development Programme, National Extension Service, Co-operative Banks, Rural Distribution Programme, and many similar projects are only a part of a massive Programme aimed at rural development. These were aimed at changing the face of the countryside, and building a new outlook among the village folk. One of the earliest steps taken was to bring about the Community Development Programme which was started in 1952. Its purpose was to ensure the supply of improved high quality seeds, modern implements and chemical manures to farmers.
As a result of the initiatives taken by the government for the development of rural area, prosperity has, no doubt, percolated to villages. But the landless agricultural laborers are still neglected a lot. Red tapism and unscrupulous and dishonest officers are blocking the roads to the prosperity of villages. The key issue of present rural development is that the schemes are not implemented at the ground level.
What is required more than anything else is a radical change in the outlook and attitudes of the villagers. They must themselves rise to the occasion and co-operate with the government. People living in villages must be aware of their rights and duties, government schemes and the latest development projects going on in the countryside. They should see to it that the government efforts to better their community do not go waster.
Village uplift requires a huge effort. The schemes that are already in place with the aim of rural development need a new outlook and proper updating. It is the duty of every Indian citizen to do his best and co-operate with the government in their efforts to bring about development in the villages.