Community development through extension
- Allahabad Chugh 1979
- 171 p.
The multi-dimensional programme for community develop ment which was launched in India soon after its attaining indepen dence proved to be a great success. The 'green revolution' has been one of its spectacular results in the material sphere. Chroni cally deficit areas witnessed surpluses for the first time to their bewilderment and joy. In the moral sphere the awakening that it created among the people is rather incalculable. Age-long paralys ing contentment yielded place a to keen urge for innovation. The once static people started flocking round the extension worker, who became the beacon for progress. Adult literacy centres and night classes, humming with activities, broke the spell of gloom. The countryside started ringing with demand for educational insti tutions, community centres, and facilities for healthy recreation.
But much before the results achieved could be stabilised to serve as the stepping-stone for another leap forward the movement got into a rut at so many places, and started losing its dynamic character. The concept of a multi-dimensional programme to be executed by multi-purpose workers was abandoned in preference to a few sundry activities taken up with fits and starts. The com prehensive programme of the development of agriculture and horticulture, for instance, degenerated into a mere programme of distributing chemical fertilisers, for which no solid steps seem to have been taken to develop stable and viable institutions. The programme of social education was given up for the sake of some paltry saving.