Solved Exercise for Precis writing “Indian Village Planning” for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

In a predominantly agricultural and overpopulated country in which rural population constitutes 80 to 85 per cent of the total, planning to be effective and successful, has to start from village level. Planning at village level must take into account all the facts of socio-economic life of the people and ultimately it should aim at increasing agricultural production consistent with growth expansion and an ever rising living standard of the people. Factors that affect agricultural productivity are technical, organizational, institutional and human. Investment in human beings by providing them with educational, medical and recreational facilities, better and healthier houses to live in is as important as investment in land in the form of improved and scientific techniques, better seeds, manure, irrigation facilities, etc. Our villages at present lack most of these facilities and they number more than five lakhs with 295 million out of the 357 million people of India. It will be futile to expect from a man living in an ill-built, ill-lighted and ill-ventilated house without any amenities – all resulting in ill-health-to aspire to better living and increasing his working capacity.

It is in this context that the problem of rural housing and village planning is linked up with the overall reconstruction plan of the village. The Government is thus taking more and more interest than before in making a beginning to tackling the problem. The establishment of Rural Housing Cell with the State Governments, Rural Housing Wings with the six engineering institutions and the provision of Rs. 3 crores for rural housing in the Second Five-Year Plan are ample proof of the Seriousness of the Government in this respect.

This field of activity is almost new in India. Much will depend upon how we approach this problem of village planning in the beginning. We are bound to make mistakes, but there is no other alternative initiating the huge task of village reconstruction. This will make Se of Indian economy, in the long run, sound and responsive, the base of Indian so that it creates within itself self-generating forces of economic development

It will not be exaggeration to say that miserably unhealthy housing and sanitary conditions work in a cumulative way is holding up progress and thus forms one of the constituents of the vicious circle of poverty in a backward country. The five lakh odd villagers in India pose unimaginable problems; there are, as the Prime Minister once rightly pointed out, as many problems as there are villages scattered all over the country. The financial implication of village reconstruction plans estimated to be Rs. 2,500 crores, if undertaken at once, are simply frightening and the country can ill-afford to do all this at one stroke. The only thing anybody can think of at the present moment is to give a mild push to the problem to arouse among villagers an aspiration to live better.

(480 words)

Precis

Title : Indian Village Planning

Village Planning Effective and successful planning in an agricultural and overpopulated country like India should start at village level and should cover all factors connected with the socio-economic life of village people. It is futile to expect increasing capacity without providing better and healthier houses, educational, medical and recreational facilities, which is as important as investment in the form of better seeds, manure, irrigation and other facilities. Village planning forms a major part of rural reconstruction in India. The Government has taken a humble beginning to tackle this problem, as the financial implications of such a plan are enormous, which the country can ill-afford to meet all at once. The Government’s seriousness to tackle this problem is proved by the fact that they have provided Rs. 6 crores for rural housing in the Second Five Year Plan, besides the establishment of Rural Housing Cell and Rural Housing wings with the six engineering institutions.

(151 words)