National Rurban Mission to Create Smart Villages

National Rurban Mission

National Rurban Mission Image

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Rurban Mission in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh on Sunday, he said that the initiative “is for the person standing in the last row”. Named after Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the ex-Union Minister, the program seems to represent what Modi said during his speech: “This government is for the poor, Dalits, tribals, oppressed and deprived sections of the society”.

Rurban Mission to Complement Smart Cities Initiatives

The Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission (SPMRM) has been described by Modi as an initiative that would enable cluster-based development. Like the Smart Cities initiative, this mission will create Smart Villages. These rurban clusters, as Modi mentioned at the launch, will be developed as epicentres of economic activity. They would have a direct impact on the overall growth and improvement in the quality of life.

Objectives of Rurban Misson

The government aims at developing 300 villages across India as growth centres over a period of three years. Calling the Rurban Mission a remedy to the problem of migration of people cities in search of better quality of life., Modi said that these centres would increase scope of employment in villages, hence, curbing migration of youth from villages to cities. He rued the fact that the previous government didn’t think of improving facilities in urban areas despite the emergence of slum clusters due to migration. By the end of 2016, the government wants to develop 100 such centres. It is through Rurban Mission that the government wants to ensure that urban level health care facilities reach the nearby villages of such centres.

The Plan Proposed Under Rurban Mission

SPMRM or the Rurban Mission wants to develop 300 rural centres with each catering to at least four adjoining villages. These rural centres will be transformed into urban clusters with modern facilities. The cluster will witness development in economic standards, education facilities, electricity, health care facilities and employment opportunities. Modi said that it was the need of the hour to develop even the remotest places as growth centres with urban facilities like education, health care and internet connectivity.

Funding and Implementation of Rurban Mission

At the national level, the Rurban Mission will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Rural Development, and the state government will monitor developments at state level. The Rurban Mission will be funded by converging various schemes of the government. An additional funding of up to 30 per cent of the project cost per cluster will be provided as Critical Gap Funding (CGF) to enable development of such clusters. The Odisha government has already set up a State Level Empowered Committee (SLEC) for the development of rurban areas.

Some of the Sectors for Which Development Has Been Mooted

1. Agro Processing and Agro-based Services
2. Electronic delivery of citizen-centric service
3. Digital Literacy
4. Mobile health unit
5. Provision of piped water supply
6. Higher education facilities
7. Sanitation
8. Inter-village road connectivity
9. Skill development training for economic activities
10. Street lights
11. Waste management
12. Village Streets and drains

 

More Programmes Launched by Modi

Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
Atal Pension Yojana
MUDRA Bank Yojana
Start-up India, Stand-up India
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)
Sukanya Samriddhi Account
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)
One Rank One Pension Scheme
Seventh Pay Commission
Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS)
Schemes of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
Garib Kalyan Yojnaye
All Information about Digital India Programme
DigiLocker
eBasta – Features and Benefit for students
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Scheme
Pahal Scheme
Jan Dhan Yojana
Skill India
Modi’s Sagar Mala Project