Explaining Rural Development in Contemporary India: A Paradoxical Situation

Abstract

Rural development is not simply an offshoot of policies and programmes initiated by the Indian State and public-sector agencies and NGOs. It is far more inclusive and comprehensive as the rural people themselves aspire for their betterment and put efforts to that end. Undoubtedly, the constitutional provisions, policies and programmes for rural upliftment have weakened some of the institutional bottlenecks, and granted a voice to the deprived and excluded sections of rural India. ‘Urban bias’ is one such potent factor, obstructing egalitarian rural development. Onslaught on traditional obstructive institutional social arrangements has paved a way for ‘new actors’, individuals and families to assert for their shares in the process of development. That led rural development to proceed in an inclusive form, both materially and socio-culturally, ensuring incorporation of all sections of society, particularly the poor and the deprived people. Thus, it is both a policy and a process, encompassing activities in public and private domains. Therefore, rural development is a change for a desired type of society and hence, has a human face as well. The above insight is drawn by the author from his study of Six Villages in Rajasthan in the 1960s and again after half a century in 2015-16, with a view to grasp the nature and direction of social change and development. A comparative analysis of the same villages, covering a period of five decades, indicates that ‘inclusive development’ is the real concern of the people, implying access to assets, markets and opportunities on an equal basis, reduction in disparity of income, maximum benefits for the poor, increased focus on agriculture, employment, health care and education, and equitable sharing of public goods and services.