Rural and remote Indians
Learn about government benifts and payments for rural and remote Indians
e- Governance in Rular Development
India is a nation of villages. The rural mass in the nation comprises the core of Indian society and also represents the real India. According to the Census Data 2001, there are 638,387 villages in India that represent more than 72 per cent of the total population.
So development of these rural mass is one of the key areas of consideration in the government policy formulation. Rural Development which is concerned with economic growth and social justice, improvement in the living standard of the rural people by providing adequate and quality social services and minimum basic needs becomes essential. The present strategy of rural development mainly focuses on poverty alleviation, better livelihood opportunities, provision of basic amenities and infrastructure facilities through innovative programmes of wage and self-employment etc.
The government of India has started many programmes aimed at improving the standard of living in villages or rural areas. To build rural infrastructure, the government launched a time-bound business plan for action called Bharat Nirman in 2005. Under Bharat Nirman, action is proposed in the areas of Water Supply, Housing, Telecommunication and Information Technology, Roads, Electrification and Irrigation.
In view of the sheer size and diversity of our country, delivery of governance to the remote corners in a meaningful and locally relevant manner is a huge challenge. The administrative setup has evolved by incorporating our age old institutions with the modern democratic organs to meet this challenge.
To make this challenge easy Panchayati Raj came into existence. Panchayats have historically been an integral part of rural life in India, and the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 has institutionalised the Panchayati Raj at the Village, Intermediate and the District levels, as the third tier of governance. In May 2004, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj was formed as the Nodal agency looking after the empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the country.
The use of information - communication technology has made this challenge more convenient.