RURAL - URBAN DIVIDE – SOCIAL ISSUE
News: Turn
off the tap of urban bias in rural development
What's in the news?
● The
divide between the rural and the urban has grown due to an inherent urban bias
among policymakers and Institutions, including the Government.
Rural - Urban Divide:
There
are glaring disparities in income distribution, consumption and quality of life
between rural and urban India.
1. Income disparity:
● The
rural-urban divide in India is so prominent that the income of an average
person in the rural parts of India is less than even half of the urban
counterpart.
2. Lack of opportunities:
● There
is a lack of livelihood opportunities, modern amenities and services, necessary
for decent living in rural areas.
3. Insufficient public healthcare infrastructure:
● A
majority of health infrastructure is in the private sector, which is limited to
the middle classes in urban India. Rural areas are catered by government-run
dispensaries which lack infrastructure and medicines.
4. Exclusion:
● A
majority of rural society remains excluded from India’s journey of development.
5. Lack of infrastructure:
● There
is improper and inadequate provision of infrastructure when compared to urban
areas.
6. Decline in profitability and productivity within
agriculture:
● The
decline of India’s agriculture and the rise of the urban-centric service-led
economic growth has led to the widening of rural-urban disparities.
7. Gap between agriculture and non-agriculture
sectors:
● The
widening of the gap between agricultural and non-agricultural sector incomes,
particularly since the late 1990s, and the inability of the industry to absorb
“surplus” labour from agriculture, have worsened the disparity.
Government Measures:
1. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana:
● The
scheme aims to improve rural road
connectivity.
● This
ensures long-term poverty reduction because people are given the opportunity to
connect with the rest of the world.
2. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana:
● The
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana is part of the National
Livelihood Mission.
● This
aims to meet the career aspirations of rural youth while also diversifying rural family's income.
● The
scheme, which was launched on September 25, 2014, is aimed primarily at rural
youth aged 15 to 35 who come from poor families and it will aid in the
improvement of employability.
3. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya National Rural Livelihood
Mission:
● The
scheme aims to empower women through a self-help model across the country.
● The
World Bank aided the scheme, which aimed to create efficient and effective institutional platforms for the poor.
● It
also contributed to increased household income by facilitating access to
financial services.
4. Prime Minister Rural Development Fellows Scheme:
● The
Prime Minister Rural Development Fellowship (PMRDF) is a programme run by the
Ministry of Rural Development in collaboration with state governments.
● Its
two main objectives are to provide
○ short-term assistance
to district administrations in underdeveloped and remote areas of the country
○ to
develop competent and committed leaders and facilitators who can serve as long-term resources.
5. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA):
● According
to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) of 2005, any rural
household adult who is willing to do unskilled manual work for 100 days in a
financial year is guaranteed 100 days of employment.
● The
Act is about working people and their fundamental
right to a dignified life.
6. Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY):
● Under
this scheme, each Member of Parliament will be assigned to three villages.
● They
will be responsible for their personal,
human, social, environmental, and economic development.
7. Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin):
● The
scheme aims to provide housing to the
country's rural poor.
● The
scheme's goal is to provide housing for all citizens until 2022.
● The
cost of building the houses will be split between the central government and
the state government.
8. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY):
● The
scheme aims to provide food grains at subsidized rates to around 2 crore
people.
● Families
living below the poverty line (BPL) were given 35 kg of food grains as part of
the scheme.
9. Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA):
● To
create opportunities outside of cities, PURA proposes that urban infrastructure and services be provided in rural areas.
● This
will also prevent youth from migrating
from rural to urban areas.
10. Rurban Mission:
● Bridging
the rural‐urban divide by ensuring
facilities and services.
● Stimulating
local economic development while
focussing on reduction in poverty and unemployment in rural areas.
● Regional
development.
● Attracting
investment in rural areas.
Challenges in Bridging the Gap:
1. Social customs:
● In
closed rural societies, social institutions such as caste system, joint family
system and various social customs play a major role in the day-to-day life of an individual.
2. Pushing factor:
● The
rural area characterized by lower wages,
a small size of landholdings, lack of opportunities and amenities have been
a pushing factor for migration from rural area to urban area.
3. Administrative issues:
● Corruption
in the disbursal of funds.
● Non-transparency
in financial transactions.
● Wrong
identification of the beneficiaries.
● Lack
of involvement of Gram Panchayats in planning and implementation.
● Lack
of political and administrative accountability.
WAY FORWARD:
1. Reforms in farm sector:
● The
farm sector needs reform to raise
productivity, enhance farmer's income, build market infrastructure and
address declining soil fertility.
2. Industry - Agriculture Link:
A
concomitant industrial policy that takes into account the structural
relationship between agriculture-industry that also provides urban infrastructure and social sector
support, particularly investments in education and health.
3.
Policies need to be crafted to increase
productivity and simultaneously diversify the workforce to accelerate the
structural transformation of the Indian economy.
4.
Equitable access to quality education
and healthcare.