Modi right to bring urban amenities to villages
In a fitting response to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's recent remark that the country needs Smart Villages not Smart Cities, the Union Cabinet decided last Wednesday to launch the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission to develop 300 village clusters as centres equipped with modern, urban facilities. It simultaneously sanctioned Rs5,142 crore as the initial outlay for developing such Smart Villages. Arguably, the idea is not entirely novel. Previous Governments, including that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had proposed a scheme called Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA). But this remained on paper as no separate funds had been allotted for it. But its revival in a new avatar is most timely. The Modi Government has unveiled a series of plans aimed at injecting a new dynamism to the economy; the Finance Minister has repeatedly asserted that achievement of eight to 10 per cent annual GDP growth is now within the realms of feasibility. But if the projected growth remains concentrated in urban areas, India will be inviting socio-economic disaster of a gigantic magnitude. Our already overcrowded cities will turn into unmanageable ghettos and living conditions will deteriorate precariously. Strategies are needed to prevent mass exodus from villages in search of jobs and other facilities that cities offer.
The history of industrialisation, starting with Britain in the 18th century, tells us that some degree of migration from villages to cities is unavoidable, perhaps even necessary, as the wheel of industry gathers momentum. But unless steps are taken to regulate this transfer of population, this can lead to chaotic consequences. The only antidote is creation of gainful employment opportunities in the countryside, besides agriculture, which alone cannot provide sustenance to a rapidly expanding rural population. Already 60 per cent of India's 1.22 billion people are dependent on agriculture which accounts for a mere 16 per cent of the country's GDP. Alongside creation of rural jobs in sectors like agro-processing, it is necessary to improve the quality of life in our villages by equipping them with electricity, roads, educational institutions, health facilities and so on,. These, in turn, will add further to employment prospects.
The SP Mukherji Rurban Mission can be the catalytic instrument to transform India's 6,00,000-plus villages into counter-magnets that may eventually help decongest our overcrowded cities. But those entrusted with implementing this must ensure that the plan is carried out in a way that does not destabilise or disorient the value systems of rural India, which is a major pillar of India's cultural cohesion. Regrettably, a cussed section of Opposition parties obstructed passage of the Government's proposed land acquisition Bill. The Prime Minister had envisioned land acquisition primarily for construction of canals, rural roads and housing and also for establishing schools, colleges, universities and speciality hospitals in village clusters. With the launch of the Rurban Mission it is to be hoped that States will come forward to devise their own land laws to enable this vision to be realised. Incidentally, our former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was a passionate advocate of PURA, which he believed could be the key driver of India's emergence as a developed country by 2020. Even if the target date has been pushed back, it is reassuring that the NDA has not abandoned the dream.