Dr S Saraswathi
Yet another scheme named “Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission” was launched by the Prime Minister recently for developing initially 300 villages across the country as urban growth centres. An investment of over Rs.5,000 crore is suggested for this project, which aims at transforming rural areas as “economically, socially, and physically sustainable spaces”.
The scheme was announced in Budget 2015-16 with the object of providing “integrated project based infrastructure in rural areas”. Public-private partnership is envisaged in its operation. It was inaugurated from Chhattisgarh – a State that badly needs this mission.
How far it is a new scheme and how much of it a name for urbanization process and its side effects already taking place may be relevant questions. But, it is an indicator of Government’s intention and endeavour to close the rural-urban gap.
Nearly four decades ago, in the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74), a vital strategy for rural development by name “growth centres” was adopted for identifying existing and potential growth centres for all-round development. It was called Integrated Area Development with accent on bridging rural-urban divide – a crucial aspect of development missed under the Community Development Programme and National Extension Service of 1950s and 1960s.
Rurban Mission aims at creating village clusters provided with urban facilities so as to put a break on migration from rural areas. These clusters will be equipped to undertake 14 mandatory functions which include providing and improving skill training for economic activities, agricultural services including agro-processing and warehousing; digital literacy; sanitation; piped water supply; village streets and drains; well-equipped health unit; school and higher education facilities; inter-village road connectivity; public transport; waste management facility; citizen-service facility for electronic delivery of services; LPG gas connection, etc.
It looks like rural counterpart of urban “smart city” project. Indeed, smart cities without smart villages can only widen rural-urban differences. The proposed clusters will be of smart villages. First experimented in Gujarat from 2011, it is being extended to the entire country and is expected that it would also ease pressure on cities which are now unable to cope with unending streams of migrants from villages.
In a way, it is a version of PURA, the pet theme of Late President Abdul Kalam. And it is an improvement as a scheme of the Government with budgetary allocation unlike PURA that depended much on voluntary support.
The Mission has three main objectives, viz., improving life of people in rural clusters; bridging rural-urban divide; and reducing distress migration from rural to urban areas. Migration in India, as census reports show, is mostly from rural to rural areas – from small village to bigger village. When this fails to meet the needs of the migrant, city-ward movement takes place. Nearly half the rural population, according to 2011 census, live in 1.2 lakh villages with a population ranging from 2,000 to about 10,000. The number of big villages, i.e. those with over 10,000 population, has been increasing due to internal migration. But , corresponding physical development is not taking place.
The rate of urbanization in India is on the whole 31%, which is lower than in other BRIC (Brazil and China) countries. Latin America is already the most urbanized region in the world, and by 2030, about 84 % of its residents are expected to be urban residents. Urban population in Brazil has already exceeded 85% of the total. It has led to growth of “shanty towns” called “favelas” around cities. This rapid urbanization has caused tremendous problems in healthcare.
An NGO has commented that about 800 small towns in Argentina are at risk of vanishing. Rural-urban divide today is not as sharp as it used to be. The number of statutory towns (notified by State Governments), census towns (identified by census), urban agglomerations (contiguous urban spread), outgrowth (viable units like village or hamlet), one million plus cities are all increasing in number. Satellite towns situated at some distance from a city, but linked with it by transport facilities for daily commuting have come up. Suburban areas of metropolitan cities have acquired all the characteristics of cities retaining their own form of administration. City limits are also expanding.
All these developments have similar impact of causing gradual disappearance of villages near big towns and cities in India. Metropolises and megapolises have come up by swallowing nearby rural areas. In this situation, Rurban Mission, if implemented, can promote development of villages with their own population. It is a scheme for area-cum-population development.
Speaking on the Gujarat scheme, Narendra Modi once described this as “Aatma Gaav ki, Suvidha Sheher ki” ( The soul is of villages, facilities of cities). Rhetoric indeed! Whether the soul is any different or will remain in its pristine purity, is open to debate. In anyway , urban facilities can no longer remain confined to urban areas in the current global economy and information society.
The number of people returning farming as their main occupation has been declining from census to census. Between 2001 and 2011, the decline is from 103 million to 98 million. Research studies also reveal the willingness of increasing number of people to give up farming as their main occupation.
In several cases, migration is not restricted to nearby cities. Construction industry, industrial labour, semi-skilled mechanical work, and full-time domestic labour, are some jobs drawing large chunk of migrants leaving agricultural occupations is search of urban employment even outside their State causing drastic drop in rural population.
According to an estimate made by the Ministry of Urban-Rural Development in China, 300 million people are likely to migrate from rural to urban areas between 2010 and 2025. Old villages are being demolished and new cities are being built to relocate villagers. It is pursued as a way of integrating China’s population.
Similar process is going on silently in some parts of India. It is aided by several schemes like Special Economic Zones, IT Corridors, industrial complexes, real estate business, slum clearance and projects like “shelter for all”, and so on. They result in chaotic migrations that upset urban life also.
Rurban Mission must have a strong component to help agriculture and industries also so that with extension of urban facilities, rural based occupations will go on without interruption. The Mission should simultaneously benefit rural and urban areas and lead to over-all regional growth. The motto “strengthen rural areas, de-burden urban areas” to achieve area-wise balanced growth and development has to be scrupulously followed so that the Mission will not become a mere name change for “urban hinterland” or rural-urban fringe. (INFA)
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