Rural development essay / composition: Bangladesh is a land of villages. There are about 87,000 villages in our country. More than 85 percent of our population live in villages. So, it is clear to us that the development of Bangladesh entirely depends on the prosperity of the villages and the villagers.
Definition of rural development : Rural development refers to a planned change towards the improvement of the economic and social life style of the rural poor. This is done through increased production, equitable distribution of resources and empowerment.
Various aspects of rural development : There are various aspects of rural development. Agriculture, education, communication, health and sanitation, employment, empowerment etc. are the most important aspects.
Agriculture : Agriculture is an aspect peculiarly related only to rural environment. It has the lion’s share in our economy. But the farmers and the farming equipments are not up to-date in most cases. So, farmers should be trained well and modern farming equipments and seeds should be made available in the villages. Besides, irrigation system, supply of fertilizer, pest management, agricultural loan etc. should be considered with care and revised where necessary.
Education : About 85% of our population live in villages. Again, about 85% of our rural population are illiterate. There is an acute shortage of schools and colleges in our rural areas. So, to educate our rural population, sufficient educational institutions need to be set up. Besides, every possible assistance should be made to promote education among the rural poor. Because, without eradicating illiteracy, rural development will remain nothing but a mere dream.
Communication : During the recent times, many roads, bridges, culverts etc. have been built in many villages of Bangladesh. Thus, these villages have been brought under a moderate communication system. Yet, in most cases, communication system have to be developed. New infrastructure should be built and the existings should be managed well or repaired where necessary.
Health and sanitation : Poor health and sanitation is still a problem rampant in rural areas of Bangladesh. Water pollution, lack of awareness, lack of nutrition etc. are causing sufferings to rural people. So, proper steps should be taken to ensure development in this field.
Employment : The farming community remains idle during almost half of the year. Besides, there are a lot of people who are landless and jobless. So, sufficient employment opportunities for this type of people should be created.
Empowerment : Empowerment or more economic and political power to the rural masses to control the use and distribution of their resources should be ensured.
Steps taken by the government : The govt. has taken a number of programmes for rural development of Bangladesh. Though there is financial constraint , the government with its limited resources and foreign aids is trying its best to uplift the standard of our villages. The govt. is playing a very significant role in overall development of all villages of the country. The major governmental rural development projects include the vulnerable group development, Thana Resource Development and Employment project, Rural social service programme, community development programme, self-reliance programme for rural women and technologies for rural employment. The government’s current rural development policies main emphasis is on employment oriented growth, greater citizen participation in development activities, greater cooperation between public and private sectors, specialised programmes for rural poor women, ethnic minorities, children and the elderly people.
Steps taken by NGOs : The voluntary and private organizations, more popularly known as the Non Government Organizations (NGO) cover as wide range of rural development activities including those- oriented towards development of income and employment, health and sanitation, agriculture and rural craft, vocational education, relief and rehabilitation, family planning, mothers and child care. A number of NGOs have achieved national and international reputations through ‘micro credit model’ notably Grameen Bank, Proshike, Bangladesh Rural Advancement committee. Manobik Unnayan Kendra, Rangpur Dinajpur Rural service and Gono Mukti Kendra. So, NGOs are playing an important roles for the development of all villages,
Conclusion : For the development of our country, rural development is the precondition. It can be translated into action if the govt. as well as the intelligentsia come forward and join hands for the improvement of the villagers.
Read more- Rural life paragraph
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