– Kh. Premkumar Singh
(Journalist)
Over the last few years, Government of India has focussed on a sustained and comprehensive intervention in rural development. This effort encompasses all aspects of development relating to rural life. As the Corona pandemic broke out in the country in March this year and the nation had to undergo a period of total lockdown, Government of India showed its keen awareness for the needs of the rural life and economy. Even during total lockdown, agriculture and related activities were not allowed to suffer. Moreover, a series of direct interventions were immediately announced to assist landless labourers and small and marginal farmers. Simultaneously, more programmes have been announced in this period to carry forward the momentum of bridging of rural-urban divide. Here we take a look at some of these interventions.
Housing and Sanitation
Prime Minister, Shree Narendra Modi has given the vision of permanent houses to every family in India. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) targets to provide 1.95 crore houses to eligible beneficiaries during its second phase (2019-20 to 2021-22) along with amenities like toilets, electricity and LPG connections. The houses under this plan will be completed in 114 days. This is a massive improvement from earlier experience where it took 314 days to build such houses. The government assured to provide electricity and clean cooking facility to all rural families by 2022 under Ujjwala and Saubhagya Yojana. Swachch Bharat Abhiyan is another important aspect of rural life, and this mission continues to expand the infrastructure of toilets and amenities. Providing safe houses to every Indian goes hand in hand with proper sanitation to all villages. Swachh Bharat Mission has now been expanded to undertake sustainable solid waste management in every village.
Connectivity and Rural Economy
Connectivity in all aspect in villages across the country is another important part of the vision of the Prime Minister. Under Bharat-Net, internet connectivity will be expanded to local bodies in every panchayat. To speed up Bharat-Net project assistance from Universal Obligation Fund under a PPP arrangement is to be utilized. The Government will upgrade 1,25,000 kilometers of the road over the next five years under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Phase III.
To provide a better economy for the villagers, Common Facility Centres (CFCs) are to be set up to facilitate cluster-based development during 2019-20 with special focus on Bamboo, Honey and Khadi under Scheme of Fund for Upgradation and Regeneration of Traditional Industries’ (SFURTI), Under Scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Rural Industry and Entrepreneurship’ (ASPIRE), Livelihood Business Incubators (LBIs) and Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) to be set up in 2019-20 to develop 75,000 entrepreneurs in agro-rural industry sectors.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) to be established to robust fisheries management framework including modernisation, productivity, quality control etc.
Water Conservation
To provide safe drinking water to every household on priority and in a sustainable manner Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has lauched ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ after due approval from Union Ministries and State Governments, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS). Its focus areas are water-stressed districts (256) and blocks (1592). The Campaign is centered on 5 aspects of Water conservation and Rainwater harvesting, Renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, reuse of water and recharging of structures such as bore-wells, watershed development and intensive afforestation.
To improve groundwater management through community participation in identified priority areas in seven states, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti has lauched Atal Bhoojal Yojana. The outlay of the scheme is Rs.6,000 crores with the help of World Bank. It was implemented on the 24th December 2019.
To provide drinking water connections to every household by 2024 and also to solve the two problems faced by Indian Women i.e. lack of water and lack of toilets, Ministry of Jal Shakti has lauched Jal Jeevan Mission with a estimated budget of more than Rs. 3.5 lakh crore.
Union HRD Minister Sh. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Union Minister for Jal Shakti Sh. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat have launched Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha on 9th August 2019 to create awareness about water conservation and to connect more than 10 crore students.
Major all-encompassing programmes
Under the initiative of Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Gram Panchayat Development Plan (Gdpd)-Sabki Yojana, Sabka Vikas has been launched on October 2018 to strengthen the role of 31 lakh elected Panchayat leaders and 2.5 crores SHG Women under DAY-NRLM in effective gram sabha and to connect rural people to the mainstream while keeping in focus the principle of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’.
Jan Dhan Yojna or direct monetary support and financial inclusion vision of the Prime Minister is a very important intervention that has recently completed 6 successful years. Health related schemes like Indradhanush Mission for immunization, Soil Health Card project, support to MSMEs and handicrafts are among the important ongoing programmes. Mission Antyodaya was started in 2017 and seeks to converge government interventions with Gram Panchayats as the basic unit for planning by following a saturation approach by pooling resources – human and financial – to ensure sustainable livelihoods. It is an initiative for rural transformation to make a real difference based on measurable outcomes to the lives of 1 crore households in 5,000 rural clusters or 50,000 Gram Panchayats.
The welfare and economic interventions of the government to transform the lives of the villages are too numerous to recount at one place. Suffice to say that the results of these interventions have started becoming evident. With such rapid progress in the most backward parts of our country, the momentum has been built to take India to new heights of progress and self-reliance. With such efforts the target of Atmanirbhar Bharat is likely to be achieved within a few years’ time.
