Policies and Priorities

The Rural Development Department is primarily concerned with addressing the needs of the rural poor in matters of sustainable economic activity, shelter and hygiene concerns, rural infrastructure and connectivity.

Poverty Alleviation is sought to be realized through credit linkage for identified income generating activities with focus on the Self Help Groups as the basic unit for social and economic empowerment. Another area of thrust for poverty alleviation is wage employment schemes to tide over lean seasons and to provide succour to vulnerable groups. The policy for shelter hinges on a large subsidy element, and flexibility in design providing space for individual innovations and local technology options. It also seeks to generate masons from among the poor and to promote the SHG/NHG concept to enhance beneficiary contribution and scaling down of subsidy.

The sanitation policy embraces a total health concept and the strategy is now project driven, with the ultimate aim of informed collective decisions at the community level on do-able priorities in sanitation and health, both within the family and for the community at large. The approach is now to integrate drinking water and sanitation concerns to the extent possible.