What is Rural Development? Rural Development refers to process of improving or uplifting the living conditions of the people living in rural areas.
The importance of the Rural Development: The people of India live mostly in rural areas (villages). Therefore, it is in the heart of the villages that the nation lives. Indeed, “the soul of India is in the toil of the rural areas”. The welfare of India depends upon the prosperity of the villages.
Ways and Means of Rural Development: After our independence, the conditions of the villages have been improved. The problems of our villages are many and various. For their solution, intelligent guidance of both the government and the people is needed.
The ways and means of rural development:
- education of the masses
- establishment of night schools for adults
- improvement of sanitation
- provisions for cheap medical aid
- construction of good roads
- establishment of co-operative credit societies
Educated people should go to the villages and settle there. Mass education should be introduced to remove the ignorance of the villagers. It should be made both compulsory and free. Night schools should be set up for the adults to teach them elementary Hygiene and scientific methods of cultivation.
For the improvement of sanitation, jungles should be cut down. Arrangements should be made for supply of pure drinking water on a large scale. Tube-wells should be sunk, new wells and ponds should be dug. Every village should be equipped with a hospital and a charitable dispensary for providing proper medical aid to the villagers.
Roads and other means of communication in the rural areas should be improved. The government should teach the farmers scientific methods of cultivation and supply them with implements of agriculture.
Co-operative Credit Societies should be set up to advance loans to the peasants. Arbitration boards should settle disputes and differences. Cottage industries should receive encouragement. Educational films should be exhibited.
Good libraries should be provided in every village. In this way, each village should be developed into a self-sufficient unit. It is a happy sign that our government is doing its best to improve the condition of the villages through various schemes of rural uplift. It’s the progress hitherto made has not been up to the mark.
School and college students can do a lot of work for rural development.