SSC Grade D 2020 skill test held on 20.06.2022 (evening shift)

SSC Grade D 2020 skill test held on 20.06.2022 (evening shift)

In order to correct the developmental imbalances and to accord due priority to rural areas, the Ministry of Rural Development is implementing a number of programmes aimed at development of rural areas with a focus on weaker sections. The Rural Development Programmes have been streamlined and strengthened. A number of initiatives have been taken by this Ministry in the recent years for creation of social and economic infrastructure in rural areas to bridge the urban-rural divide as well as to provide food security and to fulfill other basic needs of the rural poor. To match with economic liberalisation and structural adjustment, and to provide for safety, especially for rural poor, top priority has been accorded to rural development in terms of increasing the allocation of resources for the implementation of Poverty Alleviation Programmes. The allocation fund for the Rural Development Programmes has been increased for the 10th Plan. 

The creation of employment opportunities with food security has been an important objective of developmental planning in India. The relatively higher growth of population and labor force has led to increase in the volume of unemployment an under-employment from the one Plan period to another. With the working age population growing quite faster, the number of unemployed Indians is almost doubled. The declining employment rate shows that our growth process is failing. The real wages have been declining. The Government of India aims to bring employment through wage and self-employment into a larger focus with goal of reducing unemployment and under-employment to a negligible level and of providing food security against hunger. 

Such an approach is necessary because it is realised that larger and efficient use of available human and other resources is the most effective way of alleviating poverty, reducing inequalities, improving nutritional level and achieving a reasonable high pace of economic growth. To make a tend on the prevailing poverty, unemployment and slow growth in the rural economy and to provide food security to facilitate faster growth in the rural areas, and to increase opportunities of employment, to provide greater importance of wage employment in rural areas, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was passed by the Parliament for securing livelihood of the people in the rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of employment in a financial year to a rural household. This Act makes a shift in the whole strategy of existing Wage Employment Programmes because this Act is not just a scheme, it provides a legal guarantee; it provides a social security for the weaker sections and opportunity to combine growth with equity in the process of employment generation assets which build up and strengthen the livelihood, raise pace of the poor. Within 5 years, the Act will be extended to the whole country. 

Sir, the National Food for Work Programmes was launched in the year 20004 in the most backward districts of the country, identify by the Planning Commission in consultation with the Government of India and State Governments. The need for the new programmes was felt because the existing resources were not sufficient to meet the requirement of additional wage employment for most backward districts. Moreover, it was felt that additional resources should be used into some focus areas like drought and water conservation which is the main problem in some States, and a major cause of backwardness on certain regions. Some areas are flood-prone and measures for flood control require special attention in these areas in a planned manner. The States were finding it difficult to provide State share of funds and, therefore, a Centrally-sponsored areas does not suffer because of lack of resources available with these States. 

The objective of the Programme is to provide additional resources, opportunity from resource available so that generation of supplementary wage employment and provide food security through creation of need-based economic, social and community assets in these districts in further intensified. 

Sir, now I come to the Programme which aims at building a nation with progressive and prosperous rural India. It will be a time-bound Plan in the areas of irrigation, road, rural housing, and water supply. Government has set targets to be achieved under these goals.