Rural Development

There are no universally accepted approaches or models to rural development because what may be applicable to one place may not be so in the other areas. Therefore when dealing with rural development it is very essential to take into account the socio- cultural aspect too. Many factors like cultures, physical landscapes, lifestyles and habits etc are at play in influencing the socio economic life of the people. Rural development do not necessarily denote industrialisation. In fact It is a comprehensive approach to develop the rural areas by integrating the social, cultural and subsistence economy of the people with increase output in production, human resource development, infrastructural facilities, use of advance technology, institutionalization and to facilitate change in the life of the rural poor.

When we talk about rural development we are actually focusing on eradication of poverty, raising the standard of living and capacity building of the rural poor. Therefore in this aspect rural development stresses on development of the physical factor, human resource as well as social infrastructure of the targeted group in order to advance the rural economy. Rural Development seeks to directly influence and contribute to employment generation and asset creation.

The key areas of focus of Rural Development are road connectivity, electricity, telecommunication as well as information technology, irrigation, food storage and processing units, market, health and education, water and sanitation, veterinary services and co-operative units which are essential for upliftment and development of the socio-economic life of the rural poor.
AARON KIKON