Importance Of Rural Development In The Pre Independence Era

In the pre-independence period, a number of rural development programmes were started by the Nationalists and Social reformers. Some of these programmes gradually disappeared or some were merged with Government-sponsored schemes later. 'This is because of various reasons like lack of encouragement from the Government, lack of financial support, inadequate, inexperienced and untrained staff. The other reasons are lop-sided approach to different aspects of development, absence of needed supplies and services, inadequate co-ordination and co-operation from other departments and agencies. The most important rural development efforts during the pre-independence era were: 1. Rural Reconstruction programme by Mahatma Gandhl 2. The Sriniketan Experiment …show more content…
The Gurgaon Scheme claimed to deal with the whole life and the activity of the peasant and the family and to present the complete remedy from the terrible conditions in which he lived. The programme aimed at improving agriculture, education, health and sanitation facilities, co-operation and social development with greater …show more content…
Health Association to promote public health
d. Women's Institution to manage the ladies' garden in Gurgaon and also to organize games and magic lantern shows for the women and first-aid classes.
2. Rural Sanitation Work: with a view to improve living conditions in the villages by using manure pits as latrines and preserving sweepings, rubbish and dung in properly dug pits. Efforts were also initiated to fight epidemics like small-pox, plague and cholera.
3. Agricultural Development Programme: The programme was launched to exhort farmers to set up model farms, use improved seeds, adopt Gurgaon plough and other iproved implements; use preventive measures against crop pest, killing of field rats and monkeys and drawing out other harmful insects by keeping lanterns in the fields. The programme also emphasized on the consolidation of fragmented land holding on co-operative basis. The principal objective of this programme aimed at increasing yield per hectare, so that the farmer gets a fair return on his efforts.
4. Education: Under the scheme, the school teacher was mad the center of all development activities in the village. Mr. Brayne emphatically stated "The village school teacher with his school library, his night school and his scouts must be the center of uplift and culture and he must be so trained that he can solve all the simple problems of the villager, whether they are of agriculture, social or moral or relate to public