Integrated Rural Development Programme

Rural Development Is A Strategy Designed To Improve The Economic And Social Life Of A Specific Group Of People The Rural Poor. From The Very Dawn Of Freedom Struggle, The Socio-Economic Transformation Of The Rural Masses Has Been The Focal Point Of All The Developmental Efforts. Following The Political Emancipation Of The Country, A Number Of Experiments Under Five Year Plans Were Initiated To Ensure The Rural Uplift In India. The Community Development Programme Launched On 2Nd October, 1952 Was The First Step In This Direction. It Was Followed By The Panchayati Raj System Introduced In India On October 2, 1959. From The 4Th Five Year Plan A Number Of Special Area Programmes Were Introduced To Change The Deserted Outlook Of The Rural Scenario. But Under These Schemes, The Gap Between The Rich And The Poor Widened To Shameful Extent. In The Light Of The Growing Socio-Economic Disparities And Regional Imbalances, The Govt. Of India Took A Fresh Look Of The Whole System Of The Rural Uplift. Hence, A New Development Programmes Called Irdp Was Launched In India In April 1978. Trysem Dwera Nrep And Rlegp Are The Associated Sub-Schemes Of Irdp. But Nrep And Rlerp Were Merged Into A Single Scheme Called Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (Jry) With Effect From April, 1989. The Book Presents A Lucid Picture Of The Impact Of Irdp On The Rural Uplift In J&K State. It Highlights The Weaknesses Of The Programme And The Author Has Offered Certain Suggestions For Removing The Drawbacks And For Making The Programme A Real Success.This Book Will Be Of Great Use To All Those Involved In The Study Of Rural Development, Teachers, Scholars, Students, Administrators, Bankers, Govt. And Voluntary Agencies.

The book presents a comprehensive picture of the rural development programmes in chronological order since first five year plan to the eighth five year plan. Attempt has been made to present the temporal dimensions of policies and objectives being adopted, extended and/or modified after reviewing the needs of identified target area and/or target groups. Also analyses the trend of rural development programmes being implemented in the region with their changing philosophy and composition from Community Development Programme (CDP), Small Farmers Development Agencies (SFDA) to Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP). The third part gives first hand information on the basis of village and household questionnaires especially developed for the purpose, not only have helped in evaluating the impact of various rural development programmes but also in assessing the participation of beneficiaries and that of the implementing agencies.

In 1952, India launched a massive and enthusiastic effort to reach the 360 million people in its 550,000 villages with a national program of economic and social reconstruction. Known as Community Development, the program provided an innovative model of rural development for both Third World nations and the aid-giving countries of the West. Although the program achieved its goal of providing service coverage to the nation, its many implementation problems and the lack of quantifiable cost-effectiveness led critics to label it a failure and resulted in its submergence into the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in 1966. More recently, however, partly as a result of the social dislocations following the "Green Revolution," there has been renewed interest in Community Development as the Indian government searches for ways of effectively implementing a strategy of integrated rural development. It is recognized that a repeat of the CD program is not the answer; but an analysis of the program allows the identification of the elements critical to good administration--and political survival. Drawing on extensive interviews with Indian and American participants, this book critically appraises the Community Development program. Dr. Sussman examines the successful pilot project at Etawah, then documents the many problems--organizational, political, and logistical--that were encountered in the attempt to replicate it on a nationwide scale, and that eventually led to its demise. From his analysis emerges the question of what kind of government strategies can best equip rural populations to participate in development. Admitting the difficulties still to be faced, he concludes on a note of guarded optimism based on recent efforts in both India and the U.S. that combine a systems approach with the use of a range of development strategies.