Rural development is the process of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas. Traditionally, rural development was centred on the misuse of land-intensive natural resources such as forestry and agriculture. However today, the increasing urbanisation and the change in global production networks have transformed the nature of rural areas.
Rural development still remains the core of the overall development of the country. According to 2011 Census 68.84% of population lives in villages. The backwardness of the rural sector would be a major impediment to the overall progress of the economy. India is predominately an agricultural country and farming is their main occupation. According to 2011 Agricultural Census of India, an estimated 61.5% dependent on agriculture. Technical developments in field of agriculture have increased the gap between the rich and poor, as the better off farmers adopted modern farm technology to a greater extent than the small farmers. About one-third of rural India is still below the poverty line. Therefore, it is important for the government to be productive and provide enough facilities to upgrade their standard of living.
Rural development is a term that concentrates on the actions taken for the development of rural areas to improve the economy. However, few areas that demand more focused attention and new initiatives are:
- Education
- Public health and Sanitation
- Women empowerment
- Infrastructure development (electricity, irrigation, etc.)
- Facilities for agriculture extension and research
- Availability of credit
- Employment opportunities
The All-India Rural Credit Review Committee in its report warned “If the fruits of development continue to be denied to the large sections of rural community, while prosperity accrues to some, the tensions social and economic may not only upset the process of orderly and peaceful change in the rural economy but even frustrate the national affords to set up agricultural production.’’ Report of the All India Rural Credit Committee, New Delhi, 2003 has rightly pointed out that a purely agricultural country remains backward even in respect of agriculture.
