India is a diverse nation and one of the most challenging areas of India is majorly included in the rural regions. Rural areas are known as villages and have extremely less population per square kilometer. Even though the population per square kilometer is significantly less, most of the population in India resides in rural areas. The socio-economic census data (2011) revealed that almost 73% of the households were in rural areas. A good amount of GDP arises through rural regions as a significant amount of income is generated by people residing in rural regions through agriculture, Cottage Industries, Pottery, self-employment, services, construction, and much more.
Importance of Rural Development
Rural Development implies the actions taken for developing rural areas to improve India’s economy and to improve the standard of living in rural areas.
Rural development is the need of the hour because the majority of the population resides in rural regions. India’s economy can be improved drastically if the rural regions are developed. Necessities are not accessible in the rural regions and rural development is important because it will make basic needs accessible.
Some areas need to be developed in rural areas urgently, they include Education, Public Health, Sanitation, Women Empowerment, Employment, and much more.
Objectives of Rural Development
The main objectives of developing rural regions by the government are:
1. Improving productiveness & wages of people residing in rural regions
2. Increasing the standard of living of people residing in rural regions
3. Increasing employment and working towards demolishing unemployment
4. Providing basic needs
… And so on.
Rural Areas & Urbanization
India, in today’s time, has its focus on urban areas. Urban cities are expected to be the main form of growth while the potential of rural regions is mostly ignored. The existing reality and the plight of the rural areas need to be considered. Rural India is far more behind than Urban India in almost most aspects.
Various indicators conclude the importance of rural development in India:
1. Majority of families living in rural regions have a monthly income of less than Rs. 5000.
2. More than half of the rural families do not own land and are into casual labor. Close to 97 percent of the rural employment is in agriculture and informal jobs.
3. The rate of poverty reduction is higher in Urban Areas than the Rural Areas.
4. Rural literacy rate is lower than the urban literacy rate.
5. Rural Regions lack health and sanitation facilities more than the urban regions.
Conclusion
The nature of rural areas has changed as globalization as well as urbanization increased.
Rural development is extremely crucial for the overall development of the country. The majority of Indians are dependent on agriculture and one-third of rural India is still below the poverty line. Therefore, the government needs to develop rural regions and provide them with a better standard of living. Rural India Development is extremely crucial, especially in today’s extremely challenging times. The solutions to the challenges faced by rural people are complicated and funding is not the solution. Funding cannot solve the majority of issues, one of the main ones being poverty. It is a temporary solution. In the long run, skills and opportunities can make a huge difference in developing rural areas.
Villages have taken a backseat in almost every aspect of socio-economic analysis. The balance between urban and rural development is a must for the well-being of the country especially during COVID where the rural areas have been severely affected and the lack of basic facilities has made the situation for them even worse.
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