Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on October 2 to observe the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. The United Nations General Assembly also declared the day as the International Day of Nonviolence.
Gandhi had a very clear perception of Indian villages. He started from analysing the causes of poverty owing to the British Rule. In his words, “India lives in her seven and a half lakhs of villages”. He believed India would have to live in villages, not in towns; in huts not in palaces. He observed, “If village perishes, India will perish too.” He was of the view that the country’s progress lies in development of its villages and growth of rural economy, industry and rural skills.
Gandhi aimed at attainment of Village Swaraj. In 1942, he said, “My idea of Village Swaraj is that it is a complete republic, independent of its neighbours for its own vital wants and get interdependent for many others in which dependence is a necessity. Every village’s first concern will be to grow its own food crop and cotton for its cloth. My ideal village will contain intelligent human beings. They will not live in dirt and darkness as animals.”
The decentralised economic units would thus facilitate the best possible use of local raw materials, talents and manpower; promote occupational equilibrium, ecological balance and cooperative living. In the field of agriculture, Gandhiji recommended cooperative farming which would save labour, capital, tools and provide employment to all adult villagers. Gandhian economics places importance to means of achieving the aim of development and this means must be nonviolent, ethical and truthful in all economic spheres. So, he dvocated trusteeship, decentralisation of economic activities, labour-intensive technology and priority to weaker sections.
However, in today’s context, the process of transformation in Indian villages has led to migration. Villages get integrated into urban areas. There are several reasons why villages have been changing. Of the 121 crore Indians, 83.3 crore live in rural areas while 37.7 crore stay in urban areas, as per the 2011 Census. The absolute increase in population is more in urban areas than in rural areas. The level of urbanisation increased from 27.81 per cent in the 2001 Census to 31.16 per cent in the 2011 Census, while the rural population declined from 72.19 per cent to 68.84 per cent. Of the total population of Odisha, 83.32 per cent live in rural areas and 16.68 per cent in urban areas.
Rural development has assumed global attention. It has great significance for a country like India where 69 per cent of the people live in rural areas. In India, agriculture contributes nearly one-fifth of the gross domestic product. Agriculture, handicrafts, fisheries, poultry and dairy are the primary contributors to the rural economy.
There exists an economic, social and environmental interdependence between urban and rural areas. Rural-urban linkage generally refers to the growing flow of public and private capital, people (migration and commuting) and goods (trade) between the urban and rural areas. Adequate infrastructure such as transportation, communication, energy and basic services is the backbone of the rural-urban development linkage approach.
A majority of the Indian villages still face constraints such as access to education, healthcare, drinking water, power, roads, etc. Against this background, adoption of especially villages in backward regions through preparation of Village Development Plans (VDPs) would go a long way in ensuring holistic and integrated development of the villages concerned. The objective of VDPs is to develop the selected village in an integrated manner. This would include economic development and other aspects of human development.
The 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution initiated the processes for introducing institutional arrangements for integrated development of settlements, areas and regions. So, these amendments provide for two types of committees, District Planning Committee and Metropolitan Planning Committee. These committees would ensure that the plans prepared by local bodies at the village and town levels are integrated and accommodated within the framework of 20 to 25-year perspective plans and 5-year economic development plans prepared at the national and State levels.
The Institute of Town Planners, India in the year 1995 conducted a study to detail urban development plans formulation and implementation (UDPFI) guidelines. The purpose was to arrive at a methodology of plan preparation that would not only help prepare better master plans but also help achieve integrated development of rural and urban areas. Urban and Regional Planners being spatially trained to look into the multi-sector dimensions of development in an area would be preparing a spatial plan and would be achieving the objective of rural-urban integration.
Rural communities are responsible for the stewardship of ecosystem services essential to human survival, such as clean air and water, flood and drought mitigation, pollution mitigation, biodiversity, and climate stabilisation. Metropolitan congestion is given some relief by smaller towns and cities that offer affordability, space and safety. Metropolitan areas provide the concentrated markets for rural goods and services. They are also the location of a wide variety of specialised services like healthcare, cultural activities and legal and financial services.
One noticeable issue today is the rate at which people migrate from rural to urban areas. This has negative consequences. It leads to overpopulation of urban areas and encouraging crimes and slows down the rate of rural development. So, each State the Government should strive to provide social amenities and jobs for rural citizens. Agro-allied industries must be set up in rural areas to provide jobs. Agricultural inputs and technologies should be introduced to rural people to improve the production level.
Gandhiji’s vision to make Indian villages prosperous is possible through rural-urban interdependence. Gandhiji had an elaborate plan for labour-intensive production which would generate more employment opportunities and suit to the rural community. Regional development planning creates a better urban-rural balance and reduces migration pressure on urban areas. It is important for planners and policymakers to develop strategies based on the realities of people’s lives in both urban and rural areas. This would reflect Gandhiji’s vision of an ideal region that would be eco-friendly and sustainable for future generation.
(Dr Mayarani Praharaj teaches at the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)