M.K Gandhi said, “the soul of India lives in its villages”. As of the 2001 census report, 74% of Indians live in the villages. It is the responsibility of the elected government to develop the villages of the country and bring them on par with cities. Development projects must be evenly distributed to villages and not only the big cities. Rural development is considered more important today for a country than olden days for the evolution process of a nation. It is a strategy to obtain improved productivity, higher socio-economic equality, ambition, and stability in the social and economic development of a country.
Natural resources such as agricultural and non-agricultural products, human resources, and patterns of social organization like values, social mobility, power structure, and land tenure systems are the main components of rural development.
The importance of rural development implies both the economic development of people and greater social transformation as well. It is the process of improving and developing the living condition of people in rural areas. In a country like India, where most people live in villages, the objective of village development is to develop selected villages in an integrated manner. This would include economic and human development through education, health, drinking water supply, and access to credit.
Most villages live by farming and irrigation work. The government should take care of hygiene and provide portable water, and build public toilets if there is no toilet for each house. One suggestion to improve the living conditions of villages is by setting a strong panchayat, where they can make decisions of their own and implement them. They can look after the finances of the village.
A cooperative society can play a significant role in the development of a village. It can provide credit to farmers, the most important thing needed for farming. They cover the majority of the Indian villages. Some cooperative societies are run by members of the village and some are run by the government. Though many cooperatives are mismanaged and lack the motivation to function, the government should take stern actions against ones that are not functioning properly. There should also be more female participation in the village cooperatives.
Though the government is busy electrifying many villages, more than one had expected, there should look at the option of solar power for rural areas. Basic health care is also most important for a village, which India is lacking in providing to every village. The villages depend on nearby cities for basic medications. Government should start with building small clinics for villages and later expand to medium-sized hospitals.
Rural communities have the highest illiteracy rates due to overcrowded schools and low attendance in some schools and often it is difficult to convince parents to send their children to schools in villages.
The government should invest in infrastructure by building roads and providing connectivity to nearby cities and villages. The government must educate the villages and provide online and digital facilities which, will be their window to the world. The government should also build adequate bank and post office facilities for every village. Government should also ensure fair wages and housing for landless people. The concept of rural development should exist to improve the quality of life in villages by overcoming poverty and providing education and access to technology.
For this, the ministry of human resource development launched a program that connects the institute of higher education to local communities to address development through technologies. In 1982, the government founded NABARD, the National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development, to promote agricultural and small-scale industry development in rural towns and villages. NABARD provides and regulates credit for small-scale industries, cottage industries, agriculture and other village industries, handicrafts, and other rural crafts and other economic activities in rural areas to promote integrated rural development.
Each parliamentarian and minister should adopt a rural village and develop it according to government guidelines. A smart village by Mahatma Gandhi’s vision is to make an ideal village that is self-reliant. The present government is making efforts to electrify villages and is providing digital facilities. Still a lot more effort needs to be done by the government to develop the living conditions in rural villages. Ultimately the country’s overall progress depends on the concrete development of rural villages.
The water in villages is clean and safe to drink, which is why people like to live in villages Fruits will be good and fresh; the air will be fresh and pollution-free. In villages, one can enjoy a peaceful life, never feel alone, and can enjoy the beautiful night sky.
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