Rural Development Programmes in India Before Independence

Sriniketan Project

The visionary work carried out in 1914 by Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, inspired by human values, aimed at the economic and cultural rehabilitation of the rural population in a few villages around Sriniketan, later known as the Sriniketan Experiment. Rehabilitation efforts were carried out in Sriniketan by forming village health groups on a cooperative basis, starting handicrafts, introducing new types of fertilizers and agricultural implements, bringing jobs related to cows, vegetable farming, and chickens, and schools, etc.

It is worth mentioning that these activities, which were limited to only a few villages, have brought about significant improvement in the income and standard of living of the rural population. However, this experiment has faced some difficulties and obstacles. The movement was adversely affected by the lack of professional guidance and the lack of experience in village welfare activities at the higher levels.

Gurgaon Project

The Gurgaon Project was initiated by F.L. Brain, an officer of the Indian Civil Service who became the Deputy Commissioner of the Gurgaon district in 1920. This rural development project was implemented as a solution to the problems faced by the people of the Gurgaon district, who were suffering from poverty, famine, lack of rain and ill health. The authorities, realizing that the progress of the villages could be achieved only if the villagers themselves were interested in their villages, provided support and guidance for this. Understanding the environment and capabilities of the rural farmers, the authorities gave them the necessary instructions. As part of the Gurgaon Project, many elements necessary for the reconstruction of a country, including educational activities, institutional activities, and cooperative activities, were included in this project. Although the villagers worked with great dedication in the beginning, later they approached this initiative with complacency. Therefore, this movement could not produce the desired results.

Marthandam Project

The Marthandam Project is a rural reconstruction project implemented by Dr. Spencer Hatch in 1928, covering about forty villages within a three-mile radius of Marthandam. The philosophy of this project is self-help. In addition to the activities such as model agricultural plantations, cattle breeding, poultry farming, beekeeping and model cottage industries, the activities in the villages were organized on a cooperative basis, tailored to the area. This program became a huge success and attracted the attention of people all over the country.

Baroda Village Reconstruction Project

Traditionally, people followed weather-dependent agriculture. Therefore, there were few stable employment opportunities for livelihood. This seriously affected rural life. In 1932-33, the Baroda Village Reconstruction Movement was started by organizing a few villages around Kosamba in Navsari district. The movement, which started with the aim of creating secondary employment to solve the problem of unemployment among farmers, started weaving, silkworm rearing, poultry farming, construction of kitchen gardens, development of farmlands, and the cooperative movement. Another advantage of this movement was that it recognized from the beginning that if agricultural production was to increase, it would be possible only if wells, roads and other facilities in the villages were developed. The fact that each village had its own panchayat and the collective work of official and unofficial groups of people helped this movement to gain national attention.

Sevagram Village Reconstruction Project

Mahatma Gandhi formulated the Sevagram Village Reconstruction Project. This project was based on the great issues of rural cleanliness, eradication of untouchability, self-sufficiency, promotion of rural industries, and development of moral values.

Firka Development Project

The Firka Development Project, implemented by the Madras government in 1946, aimed at Gandhiji's model of Gram Swaraj, included programs for multifaceted development in the short and long term. Activities such as rural industry, khadi, Harijan upliftment, panchayats, water conservation and distribution, cooperative movements, agriculture, irrigation, and animal husbandry were coordinated and implemented through this movement. With the emergence of the National Development Programme, this project was merged into it.

Etawah Project

The Etawah Project, implemented in 1948, is an important project that paved the way for social development programs after India gained independence. The great ideal of implementing rural development through the collective work of volunteers and the public, the government, the approach of identifying what is acceptable and what is not, and the system of implementing new programs, methods and technologies only after testing them locally in the fields are the characteristics of the Etawah Project. This project, which was designed on a broad basis, was to create the necessary background for integrated rural development, including agriculture, animal husbandry, rural industries, education and social activities. The Etawah Project, which called for rural development workers to work not for the people or above the people, but on the contrary, to work with the people, through the people, and with the people, paved a completely innovative path in the field of development. Project workers point out that through this project, agricultural production was increased by more than fifty percent, modern farming methods were made common in the project area, and a democratic governance system was implemented.

Nilokheri Project

This is a much-discussed project in India. A new township was developed in Nilokheri, Haryana, in 1948 under the leadership of S.K. Dey to provide employment and resettle refugees who came from Pakistan following the partition of india. The purpose behind this was an integrated rural development. While agriculture, poultry farming, and animal husbandry were developed on one hand, on the other hand, vocational training centers, engineering workshops, polytechnics, printing presses, weaving, soap making, and leather industry were started, along with a number of vocational activities. The Nilokheri experiment was an inspiration for the industrial estates that came later. After seeing the activities at Nilokheri, former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru expressed his desire to see ten thousand Nilokheris across our country.