India is an agrarian country with about 72 per cent (about 80 Crores) of its population in about 5,75,936 villages, the villages are inhibited by the rural poor with agriculture as their predominant occupation. They are largely small and marginal farmers, agricultural labourers, artisans and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. A large number of rural people (about 30 crore) are still living below the poverty line and often face the basic problem of survival, viz., jobs, poverty, hunger, shelter, ill-health and disease. By the year 2015, India’s population may surpass that of China. Dr MS Swaminathan, credited with the ‘Green Revolution’ has warned of a coming famine. The increasing unemployment in the rural sector is likely to have serious ramifi cations on India’s socio-economic and political balance. Today, we often witness serious contradictions – an aeroplane, a sign of progress and power and a bullock cart dragging in a slushy and deeply rutted kaccha road. We can not afford to lose the focus of rural areas and make them subsevient to the urban life. The hi-tech should be blended with indigenous practices in a manner that it eradicates poverty, disease, inequality and provides basic human needs such as, water, roads, medical care and literacy. Value addition to agro-products is very crucial in this respect. The planned development of rural areas should envisage provision of ‘urban’ facilities and services, including work centers, agro-industry, hospitals, schools, piped water supply, sanitation, housing, recreational facilities etc., which can be clustered into viable units or ‘cities in the field’. These can also be the centers of learning of new technologies of computer, space, telecommunication etc. From the pre-independence era of Mahatama Gandhi, every government after the Independence of the country in 1947, has committed itself to rural development. The latest being the UPA Government at the centre, which announced a Common Minimum Progress (CMP). According to the Common Minimum Programme of the Government of India (2004), the following are the commitments in respect of rural development:

Panchayati Raj: “It will be ensured that all funds given to states for implementation of poverty alleviation and rural development schemes by panchayats are neither delayed nor diverted. Monitoring will be strict. In addition, after consultations with states, the UPA government will consider crediting elected panchayats with such funds directly. Devolution of funds will be accompanied by similar devolution of functions and functionaries as well. Regular elections to panchayat bodies will be ensured and the amended Act in respect of the Fifth and Sixth Schedule Areas will be implemented. The UPA government will ensure that the gram sabha is empowered to emerge as the foundation of panchayati raj.”

Women and Children: “It will be ensured that at least one-thirds of all funds flowing into panchayats are earmarked for programmes for the development of women and children. Village women and their associations will be encouraged to assume responsibility for all development schemes relating to drinking water, sanitation, primary education, health and nutrition.”

Infrastructure: “The highest priority is attached to the development and expansion of physical infrastructure like roads, highways, ports, power, railways, water supply, sewage treatment and sanitation.

Drinking Water: “Providing drinking water to all sections in urban and rural areas and augmenting availability of drinking water sources is an issue of the topmost priority. Harvesting rainwater, desilting existing ponds and other innovative mechanisms will be adopted.”

The Central Government has recently announced a new Twenty Point Programme (TPP-2004), which overlaps the provisions of rural amenities and services. The salient programmes of the Central Government under
each head are given below:

Intensive Agriculture District Programme
• Launched in 1960-61, intensive agriculture district programme (IADP) was started to expand food production based on a package of irrigation, seeds, pesticides, credit and technical assistance.
• Comprehensive Crop Insurance to farmers against calamity and loss of crop.
• Kisan Credit Card and Life Insurance Cover to Kisan Credit Card holders.
• Kisan Mitra (Twenty Point Programme-2004)
• Kisan Credit Cards
• Agriculture Insurance – Crops and livestock
• Agro Clinic (Kisan Call Centre)
• Water shed development and Rain water harvesting
• Dry land farming
• Promotion of horticulture, floriculture, aquaculture and dairying
• Marketing and infrastructural support to farmers
• Irrigation facilities (Including minor and micro irrigation)
• National Programme for Desert areas and Drought Prone Area
• Land Reforms - Distribution of surplus land to landless SC/ST families - Compilation and computerization of land records
• Waste Land Development Programme
• Debt relief and clearance of dues to farmers
• Promotion of Commercial Agriculture
• Effective functioning of agricultural cooperatives

• Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP): The sector-wise rural development programmes were sought to be integrated in a package through the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) launched in 1976-77, which directed at formulation of District Development Plan. Basic criteria for identifying the districts were economic backwardness, development potential, acute unemployment, presence of basic infrastructure and scientific and technical institutions extension services.
• Tribal Area Development Programme (TAD)
• Border Area Development Programme (BADP)
• MP Area Development Scheme
• Prime Minister Gramodya Yojana (2000)
• Nationwide programme to computerize land records.
• Kshetriya Vikas (TPP-2004) With a view to redress regional imbalances through fiscal, administrative, investment and other means, the programme titled Kshetriya Vikas has been launched in 2004, which covers various aspects, such as:
• Surplus Land Distribution (TPP-1986)
• Flood Control
• Prevention of erosion
• Creation of productive assets
• Financing

• New Watershed Development Projects taken up to develop 62 lakh hectares of wasteland/ degraded lands.
• Pumpset Energisation Scheme (TPP-1986)
• Desert Development, Drought Prone/Arid Prone Watershed/ Wasteland Development Programme (1999)

• Tree Plantation Programme (TPP-1986)
• Paryavaran Sanrakshan evam Van Vridhi (Twenty
Point Programme – 2004)

This covers plantation and conservation of forests, identification of air and water pollution, pollution of rivers and their prevention.

• Deendayal Hathkargha Protsahan Yojana (TPP – 2004)
• Babasahib Ambedkar Hastshilpa Vikas Yojana (TPP – 2004)
• Modernisation of Village Industries (TPP-2004) : (i) Khadi Village and Cottage Industries, (ii) Small Scale Industries, (iii) Handicrafts, (iv)Sericulture, (v) Handloom, (vi) Coir and Jute, (vii) Rubber, (viii) Cashew, (ix) Food processing, (x) Leather, and (xi) Pottery

• Shelter for all by 2007 – Construction of 25 lakh houses per year in rural areas.
• Apna Ghar (Twenty Point Programme – 2004) : Apna Ghar covers Rural Housing, Indira Awaas Yojana and Valmiki Ambedkar Awaas Yojana.
• Basti Sudhar (TPP – 2004) : With a view to paying particular attention to the needs of slum dwellers the programme of Basti Sudhar would cover seven basic amenities and housing for slum dwellers.

• Safe Drinking Water by 2004 for all villages. 87.9% villages fully covered and 10.9% partially covered so far. Sector Reforms in 62 pilot districts with an outlay of Rs.1800 crore is under implementation.
• Shudh Peya Jal (Twenty Point Programme – 2004) : Providing drinking water to all and augmenting availability of drinking water sources is an issue of the topmost priority. Harvesting rain water, desilting existing ponds and other innovative mechanisms are to be taken up and monitored.

• Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana providing on all weather road to all rural Habitations with a population of 500 by 2007. 21,000 projects already taken up.
• Rural Infrastructure Development fund (RIDF) corpus with NABARD for creating infrastructure in rural areas increased to Rs.5000 crores.

• Bio-Gas Plants (TPP-1986)
• Village Electrifi cation Scheme (TPP-1986)
• Awasthapna Vikas (TPP-2004) The Awasthapna Vikas (Infrastructure Development) envisages giving the highest priority to the development and expansion of physical infrastructure, like Power, Coal, Steel, Railways, Ports, Shipping and Telecommunication, Cement, Fertilizer, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Civil Aviation, Rural and Urban Roads, Electrifi cation, Solar Energy, Integrated Rural Energy Programme, Water Supply, Sewage Treatment, Sanitation, Interlinking of rivers, and irrigation.
• Accelerated Rural Electrification Programme covering the following:
- Electrification of Villages
- Electrification of Hamlets
- Electrification of Dalit Bastis
- Electrification of Households
- Bio-gas Plant
- Solar Energy: (i) Water heating, (ii) Solar cooking and (iii) Air heating
- Integrated Rural Energy Programme

• Jawahar Gram Smridhi Yojana (GSY-2002)
• Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana – outlay of Rs.10,000 crore per annum – provides 100 crore mandays of employment with food security. 50% of funds earmarked direct to Panchayats.
• Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana providing sustainable incoe to rural poor through Self- Help Groups. 14 lakh Self – help groups, one in each habitation.
• Massive Food for Work Programme introduced in calamity affected States. 25.13 lakh tons of food grains valued at Rs.2353 crores released.
• Employment Assurance Scheme (2002)
• Antyodya Ann Yojana (2000)
• Employment and Food Bank
• Garibi Unmoolan (Twenty Point Programme – 2004)
• The National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) lays down that a National Employment Guarantee Act will be enacted to provide a legal guarantee for at least 100 days of employment to begin with on asset-creating public works programmes every year at minimum wages for at least one able-bodies person in every household, which include: (a) Kisan Mitra (b) Shramik Kalyan : With a view to ensure the welfare and well being of all workers, particularly those in unorganized sector, including the Social Security for Agricultural and Unorganised Labour, Minimum Wages Enforcement (including Farm Labour), Prevention of Child Labour and Women Labour.
• Prime Minister Rojgar Yojana (TPP-2004) Increasing employment potential in service industries viz. (i) Information Technology enabled services, (ii) Trade, (iii) Transport, (iv) Tele-communications, (v) Finance and (vi) Tourism.

• Vidyadeep (Twenty Point Programme 2004) : The Vidyadeep Programme includes Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, education guarantee scheme and non formal education, Mid Day Meal Scheme, Literacy rate, and fi nancial assistance to poor students for professional education.

• Community Development Programme (CDP) was launched in 1952 to establish an appropriate data base for village development plans and programmes to improve village community life.