• Dr. Balkar Singh

This unit comprises of rural society, rural social structure, rural economy and rural-urban linkages. This course also deals with the significance of rural development, the concept of aspiration, factors/determinants of aspirations, concept and types of social mobility in rural India. Unit includes the role of the ICT in the overall rural development. Course while dealing with the agrarian movements, focuses on approaches to the study of agrarian movement, agrarian class and the movement during the pre and post independent India and during the post-liberalization phase in India. Panchayati Raj and Rural Developmental Administration deals with the structure of the institution of local self-government which existed before and after independence also explained in this unit. Rural co-operatives, credit and banking, along with objectives and introduction, deals with the concept and importance of the institution of credit and its evolution, formal and informal systems of credit, NABARD, classification of institutional credit and lending agencies, concept and types of rural co-operatives, functioning co-operatives and the micro-credits are also addressed in this unit.

• Dr. Balkar Singh

This course will make you familiar with the different poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation Programmes that have been carried out in the post-independence period. It also focuses on the world's largest employment generation programme i.e., Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/scheme. The course comprises the various self-employment and entrepreneurship development initiatives taken in the post-independence period. In the course discusses the different initiatives taken by the government for achieving universal literacy and elementary education, explain various focuses on schemes and programmes related to rural housing, electrification, and energy. The efforts regarding drinking water, sanitation, and rural health care have also dealt with in the unit. It includes the ways and means for the development of special areas, the strategies and programme for the watershed management, the efforts and role of different institutional mechanisms in the direction of social forestry and Joint Forest management and the role of science and technology in the development of rural areas. National Rural Social Assistance programme and other welfare programmes for the rural areas, various aspects of food security, rural livelihood measures and the Aspirational District Programme (ADP), discussion about the different skill development programmes in the rural areas, the details of the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana and Rural Urban Mission included in the unit.

• Dr. Balkar Singh

This block comprises of 4 units and it aims to acquaint the learners with the importance and relevance of planning in Rural Development.

• Dr. Balkar Singh

This course based on Western conception, ‘development’ was for long envisaged merely as economic development, measured by GDP. Through encounters with non-Western societies in the post-World War II era it has evolved into a comprehensive, holistic, dynamic and multi-dimensional concept, referring to expected changes not only in economic arena but also in political and social arenas. Women’s economic status consists of work participation, ownership of landholding and other economic assets and access to livelihood sources and financial services. Awareness of and participation in political activities and decision-making indicates their political status. Though Indian Constitution has guaranteed equality to women, gender gap is still too wide is also discussed in this course. Children population living in rural areas poses distinct challenges for social development in terms of health and nutrition, sanitation, education, rehabilitation of the differently-able, etc are discussed in this course. The programmes like ICDS, Mid-day Meal and various schemes launched specially for promoting education among disadvantaged sections have really changed the children’s scenario points are discuss development of rural children. SCs consisted of untouchable castes with the lowest social rank and STs formed of the communities that existed outside the caste-fold have both historically experienced extreme forms of oppression, exploitation, degradation and inhuman treatment and many related issues are also discussed in this course.