Abstract
Abstract Rural development aims at improving the quality of life of rural people, and in the process infrastructure variables play a crucial role. India is the second most populous country in the world and the majority of its population lives in rural areas. Rural development has been India’s prime concern ever since the time of independence, and several strategies and plans were implemented from time to time to achieve a better level of development. However, neither top-down, nor bottom-up strategies of development could bring the desired changes. This article attempts to identify some correlates of rural development and tries to understand why the desired level and pattern of development could not be achieved even after seven decades of the planning process. The study analyses the case of ‘Sadar’ development block of Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh. The analysis of 10 selected variables reveals that there is a vast disparity in the level of development in the study area. However, the study shows that lack of basic education, health and credit facilities is the cause of this disparity and poor level of development. In view of the findings the author suggests that a ‘local resource-oriented development strategy’ should be adopted to ensure the holistic development of the rural areas.
Highlights
The term ‘rural’ may be applied to a geographical area that is not ‘urban’
While the socio-economic and political factors play a crucial role in the rural development process, their differences cause a heterogeneity in the level of development
The analysis reveals that there is a vast range of regional disparity within the study area and most of the villages are underdeveloped and are in a deplorable condition
Summary
The term ‘rural’ may be applied to a geographical area that is not ‘urban’. In a broader sense this is an area where the economic is based on primary activities. Failure of the exogenous development model to deliver a holistic rural development prompted planners to think about an endogenous ‘from within’ paradigm for rural development This ‘bottom-up’ development approach values regional distinctiveness and views local human and physical capital as the driving forces of development (SHUCKSMITH, 2000; RAY, 1999). The neo-endogenous ‘network development’ theory of rural development states that development is a dynamic process that is based on a two-way communication and feedback relationship between ‘top’ (the growth centre) and ‘bottom’ (the resource centre) (HEALEY, 2004; SHORTALL & SHUCKSMITH, 1998) This model opines that active participation of both the development agents - the state and the community, is needed for capacity building and quality improvement of rural life, and this mixing of both these forces can be attained by network development. That causes remote rural areas to face a resource drain and migration of their residents towards accessible rural areas, which in turn become ‘zones of accumulation’ or ‘growth points’ as they receive inputs from both the urban and the remote rural areas
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