Some Aspects of Community Empowerment and Resilience

Abstract

In this case, the authors give a detailed account of Punsari village in western part of India which has transformed itself from an underdeveloped and poor habitat to a smart village today. Punsari has attracted lot of positive attention from different quarters recently for its excellent achievements as a village and has own recognition for the same. The authors depict an account of a rural transformation under the visionary leadership of the village headman (Sarpanch) during the last one decade. In a country, where villages still face scarcity of various basic facilities, Punsari has won accolades for providing the most modern facilities to its population. Through effective planning and utilization of Central and state government funds, Punsari has reached outstanding landmarks in healthcare, education, employment and modern facilities. This village now stands as a role model of rural management for the rest of India. The authors have travelled to the village to talk to people and Based on those interviews and information available in open sources, this case was developed. The authors have explored the journey of development to analyze the factors contributing to the success. The authors attempt to present the case of Punsari to be followed as a management model in numerous underdeveloped villages around the globe, especially in developing countries. It is also an example of how leadership and vision can bring about radical changes to a populous social unit. It depicts the significance of rural entrepreneurial leadership in the current economic scenario.