Cabinet sitting on rural development revolution

In a draft note to the Cabinet, the Ministry said though all the schemes were intended to prepare the rural poor for self-employment, they have been unable to fulfill the overall objective. It said concentration on achieving individual schemes’ targets and absence of linkages hampered the schemes. So, while only 3.09 per cent of IRDP beneficiaries received training under the TRYSEM, only 23 per cent of those trained under the TRYSEM were assisted under the IRDP.

Further, schemes like the GKY, though launched with much fanfare in February 1997, were plagued by inherent limitations of ceilings on subsidy and limits of the kind of irrigation allowed. The Ministry note also included a recommendation of the Hashim committee saying the IRDP, which should be the sole self-employment programme, should move from individual beneficiary to a group approach.

Even the State Secretaries of Rural Development supported the move to integrate all programmes with the IRDP. Strengthening of district rural development agencies was also suggested. The two decisions were approved by the Committee of Secretaries in April 1998 and the State Ministers of Rural Development in May 1998.

Though the DWCRA, TRYSEM, SITRA and GKY would be scrapped, all their provisions would be included in the IRDP. As for the GKY, the original provisions of the IRDP for minor irrigation will be retained, said the Ministry note. The Ministry also favours a uniform funding pattern for the IRDP, which will have the Centre providing 75 per cent of funds and the States the remainder.