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19 Soc. Change 3 (1989)

handle is hein.journals/sclcnge19 and id is 1 raw text is: Social Chang : March 1989 : Vol. 19 No. 1 Role of voluntary agencies in rural development M. Z. Khan* M. E. Thomas* The present paper looks into programmes initiated to bring about speedy and directed change in rural areas as well as into the role of voluntary agencies. Despite considerable investment of thought and resources, a substantial change in the quality of life in rural areas is yet to come about. Among several reasons, inadequate involvement of voluntary agencies in rural development stands out. The important role of the voluntary organisations needs greater appreciation and support by the government as well as by the society. THAT India's development effort should address itself to the transformation of rural areas has-several pertinent reasons. Nearly four-fifths of the country's population lives in villages. Further, the rural populace is perpetually beset with a plethora of problems-widespread illiteracy, deep-seated ignorance and hoary superstitions, abysmal poverty and endemic unemployment. Four decades ago when it achieved Independence its natural resources were under-exploited and its economic infrastructure grossly under-developed. In the face of all this, it tried to bridge the developmental gap in a short span of time. To accomplish this, the strategy of planned techno-economic development was adopted. The overriding assumption was that generic development would facilitate the most efficient utilisation of development resources, and that the gains of development would trickle to all sections of the population including those occupying the lowest rung in society. These planning assumptions have turned out to be illusory. The income distribution has been far from being just or equitable and class differences have further widened (Dube 1987). It is estimated that the lowest 40 per cent of the population gets 17 per cent of the gross domestic product, the middle 40 per cent, 33 per cent and the top 20 per cent, 50 per cent (Seetharam, 1986). Even the claims of bringing down the poverty-line to 37 per cent becomes suspect the moment proportions are converted into absolute terms. These shortcomings stand- out particularly when the rural scene is focalised. Indeed, all along the effort has been to better the lot of the people in rural and tribal areas. In the pre-Independence period, *Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, NEW DBLHI-110025 **Research Scholar, Department of Social Work, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, NEW DELHI-110025

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