Directory of organisation in rural development vol.10

Voluntary and other organizations have an important role to play in accelerating the process of the social and economic development in rural India. Keeping in view the objective of greater emphasis on growth of rural sector in India, through a number of development programmes in recent years, the need for strengthening the existing organizational structure as well as creation of appropriate agencies in rural India, has emerged as a crucial issue. It is increasingly of these organizations, operating at different levels, provided the key to the success of integrated rural development programmes which calls for a continuous organizational support, planning, monitoring and evaluation involving participation of the local people. During the Tenth Plan Period, it is envisaged to involve the voluntary organizations in various development programmes particularly in the planning and implementation of programmes of rural development to supplement the government efforts. A number of programmes and areas in rural development efforts have been identified in which the participation of voluntary agencies would be useful for better implementation of anti-poverty and minimum needs programmes to achieve our goal of development with a human face.

The experience of rural development programmes in India during the past four decades indicate a pattern of haphazard growth of organizations in the rural sector, ranging from development administration agencies to voluntary organizations with multifarious aims and objectives. While on one hand, there is a mushroom growth of organizations in the rural sector over the years, on the other hand the need for more agencies are increasing to ensure successful implementation of different rural development programmes. It is felt by many that the existing organizations lack not only integration but also managerial expertise to achieve the desired result. Thus, today one faces the paradoxical situation of growing pressure for providing 'management inputs' to improve the managerial efficiency of these organizations, while the basic information about these are meagre and extremely inadequate for any systematic analysis.

Keeping in view the above facts, under the Centre for Management of Rural Development Programmes of the Institute, one of our objective has been to examine the relevance and applicability of management concepts and systems to the rural sector with a dual purpose of improving managerial practice and acquiring greater understanding of the working of the rural organizations. Under the above programme during the last few years, we have attempted (a) compilation of the information relating to rural sector in the Eastern and North Eastern region states. Region for creation of a data base on development indicators, socio-economic activities and institutions; (b) inter-disciplinary research, consultancy projects in the related fields, such as development, processes and patterns, planning systems, rural industrialization and employment, rural markets and distribution systems, development administration and institution, appropriate technology, agrarian structure and organization etc. (c) organization of seminars, workshops, discussion, groups for regular interaction and exchange of views involving academic institutions, developmental agencies, industrial houses, financial institutions and other government, non-government agencies from the Eastern region states to evolve new area of research and strategies for rural development, (d) a number of teaching and training programmes for our students as well as officials of Government and Non-government agencies (e) publication for dissemination of knowledge base in terms of Directory of Organizations, Bibliography on Management of Rural Development, preparation of case studies, seminar and conference papers etc.