Introduction to the Ministry of Rural Development
The government of India has different branches of ministries to look after different sectors of the society and focus on their growth and development. The Ministry of Rural development is one such branch which primarily focuses on the development of the rural areas in the country.
What is the Ministry of Rural Development?
The branch of Government of India which focuses on the socioeconomic development of the rural parts of the country is the Ministry of Rural Development. This ministry works towards providing better health, education, drinking water, good roads and housing to rural India.
When development of a nation is talked about, it includes the development of both urban as well as rural parts of the nation. As it is fairly clear that rural areas are much less developed as compared to urban areas and face many problems like being devoid of proper healthcare and education, it is highly important to focus on the development of these areas to raise the standard of living of the people and build their socioeconomic status. The Ministry of Rural Development works with this aim.
The Ministry of rural Development has two departments—department of rural development and department of land resources.
The department of rural development runs three schemes—Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) which is for the development of roads in rural areas, Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) which is for rural employment, and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana which is for rural housing.
The department of land resources also runs three national level programmes—Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana which is for the watershed development component, Digital India Land record modernisation program, and Neeranchal National watershed project.
The current Minister of rural development, Mr. Giriraj Singh is the chairman of Council of Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), and National Rural Road Development Agency (NRRDA) which are three organisations handled by the department of rural development.
The ministry of rural development works with the local governments and guides the municipal corporations in facilitating resources for disaster management, infrastructure development, and development in healthcare and education in targeted areas.
The local governments also play an important role in rural development as they have to work in coordination with the ministry of rural development and take its advice for developing better resources for people living in rural areas and improving their quality of life by doing so.
