The concept of ‘central village’ is new and novel. It can work like a centre of dissemination of ideas for the villagers and ensure development of the villages.
In Odisha, there are 51,313 villages. The total rural population is 312,87,422. Rural literacy rate is 70.78 per cent and rural female literacy rate is 61.10 per cent.
Despite socio-economic disparity inside the villages in the State, they have got immense potential for over all development. Villages can bring about sustainability of a village community as a unit through low-cost technology solutions that can help deliver more efficiency and support in bridging the gap.
The Government can create ‘central village centre’ by locating a central village by combining a few number villages which has got relative advantages as well as comparative advantages in connectivity and can provide basic necessities in terms of health , education, market as well as transport facilities for low level settlements.
The central village has the capacity to sustain certain number of population of the villages as well as the low level settlements and for a range of goods by which minimum services can be provided to support the population.
A central village can create community eco-system which can involve rural communities for the development of the villages, generate and maintain the resources necessary to increase well being and happiness, increase of assets, income generation opportunities without depleting economic, social and environmental values.
In doing so, the central village can strengthen livelihoods; infrastructure and services to create an ecosystem of channel, capacity, and capital. It can also ensure community engagement to empower rural villagers to get social equity and sustainability.
Each panchayat should have a ‘Panchayat Resource Plan’. This would serve as a primary document of reference for initiating any kind of development-related work. This should include geographical information of the panchayat, total area/land, agricultural land (irrigated and non-irrigated), geographical locations of the panchayat, village households, Government infrastructure and its type (school, AWC, ANM Center, lHV Centre, Cyclone shelter, etc.), non-Government infrastructure (village club, temples, etc), water resources (wells, tube wells, ponds, nalas, canals, rivers, etc.), human information/information relating to human settlements, population (male/female/children/old person/handicapped/pregnant women, etc.), household-wise population, family-wise income, human resources (youth, professionals including local (skilled/semi skilled/ professionals, etc.),communication facilities (roads, telephones including mobiles, machinery communication facilities-motor bike, motors vehicles), civil society organisations and spiritual organistions/units, etc.
Each panchayat should form various committees chaired by the sarapanch such as committees on flood, cyclone, drought, sunstroke, watershed development, natural resource management, water and sanitation, habitations, food and livelihood security programmes, health, education and domestic violence against women.
Panchayats should ensure the involvement of various groups such as SHGs, youth clubs, women organisations and other village level groups in the planning process in order to build capacity and also have access to repository of village and panchayat level resources.
There should be an integrated and co-ordinate service delivery at village level. On this context, women can be provided reservation in watershed development, natural resource, management, habitations, food and livelihood security programmes.
In each central village, a ‘village development council’ can sit together in general body meeting where final plans of developmental work to be taken up can be discussed and prioritised. In each cluster of villages an ‘area development council’ will be empowered and will decide priority and approve of development works. A ‘block development council’ can meet and discuss the proposals received from the area development council.
(Sahay is consultant, ISS, New Delhi, and Sethy is an Assistant Professor based in New Delhi)