Community Development Programmes
FB
o Extolled by Nehru as the armoury of our nation’s toiling spirit
Launched on 2nd October 1952
o First organized effort at rural reconstruction
National Extension Services – 2nd October 1953
Difference between CDP and NES
o CDP was more intensive than latter
o Both were to promote agricultural and rural development
Meaning
o Sought to change economic and cultural life of rural people
o Transform stagnant village into progressive communities
Aims and Objectives (8)
Create interest
o Among rural people for better economic development
Increase agricultural production
o By Good irrigational facilities
Increase village productivity
o By promoting cottage and small scale industries
Provide safe drinking water facilities
o To make villagers conscious of water contaminated diseases
Better connectivity
o Improving transport and communication facilities
Provide basic facilities
o Health, education, housing, sports and cultural activities
Generate positive outlook
o Among rural people by making villages self sufficient
Increase people’s participation in village development
o Encouraging community thinking and collective action
Implementation of CDP
Implemented in units of block
o Initially launched in 55 selected blocks
Area of blocks
o Each block had 400-500 sq km
Population of blocks
o About 100 villages and population of 1 lakh
Extension of programme
o By 1979, extended to 5123 blocks
o Covering 5 lakh villages and 47 crore population
Governance network
o Project officers, Block Development officers, technical experts, gram sevaks
Evaluation of CDP
Trajectory of CDP
o Initially attained from success
o But started loosing importance gradually
Failed to obtain effective participation of people
o Government too lost interest
Replacement of CDP
o By Integrated Rural Development Programme from 1978
Causes for failure of CDP
No proper planning
o Real aspirations of people remained unidentified
Failed to cater to needs of diverse local people
o As CDP was implemented uniformly
No clearly defined priorities
o Absence of functional distribution of responsibility
Lack of proper training
o To personnels in charge of implementation of CDP
High bureaucratization
o With top down approach instead of bottom up
Corruption at bureaucratic level
o Indifference, lack of commitment, irresponsibility
Lacked coordination between departments
o Resulting in overlapping of programmes
Inadequate benefits to small and marginal farmers
o Benefits of CDP went to rich and big farmers
Poor boost in food production
o In spite of huge expenditure on CDP
Poor response from beneficiaries
o Lack of adequate rural people participation