NCERT Solution for Class 11 Economics Chapter 5: Rural Development

(A) Meaning

1. Rural development means an action plan for the economic and social upliftment of rural areas.

2. It aims at improving the quality of life of people living in rural areas.

3. It focuses on the action for the development of areas that are lagging behind in the overall development of the rural economy.

Rural development is important because of the following reasons:

(i) A large proportion of population is living in rural areas

1. Rural people account for about 3/4th (75%) of the total population.

2. In 2016, 68.84% of the population accounted for the rural population.

3. They have always lagged much behind the overall progress of the economy.

(ii) Agriculture: Major source of livelihood

1. Agriculture is still a major source of livelihood in rural areas.

2. More than two-third of India’s population depends on it.

3. So, the development of agriculture will contribute to the betterment of rural areas and rural people.

(iii) Lack of basic necessities

1. Majority of poor people live in rural areas.

2. They do not have access to basic necessities of life like food, health facilities, sanitation, etc.

Answer: The key issues in rural development are:

(1) Development of infrastructure

● There is a lack of infrastructure in rural areas.

● Infrastructure development like electricity, irrigation, credit, marketing, transport facilities, etc., needs to be addressed.

(2) Reduction of poverty

● The reduction of poverty is important because rural areas have the maximum poverty.

● Around 30% of the population is below the poverty line; this figure reduced to 21.92% in 2012.

● There is a serious need of taking steps for the alleviation of poverty.

(3) Development of health facilities

● Rural areas lack proper health facilities.

● Better health facilities are necessary for physical growth of individuals.

(4) Development of productive resources

● Productive resources of each locality need to be developed to enhance employment opportunities.

● It will help in diversification of production activities with a view of finding an alternative means other than crop cultivation to sustain life.

(5) Development of human resources

● There is a need to improve the quality of human resources in rural areas.

● It can be done by improving the literacy rate (especially female literacy), skill development, industrial training, etc.