The Integrated Rural Development Program was established to provide impoverished people with job possibilities. This plan not only provides the required subsidies to those living below the poverty line but also assists them in improving their living conditions.
The Government of India created the Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP) in 1978 and implemented it in 1980. The program’s goal is to give disadvantaged people work possibilities as well as chances to enhance their skill sets in order to better their living situations. The program is regarded as one of the greatest yojanas for addressing poverty-related issues by providing essential subsidies in parallel with job possibilities to people who fall below the poverty line.
As previously stated, the goal of IRDP is to raise the standard of living in disadvantaged rural regions above the poverty line. IRDP’s additional goals are as follows:
These goals are met by supplying this population with productive assets from the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. These folks receive financial support in the form of government subsidiaries or an IRDP loan and credits from various financial organizations.
IRDP focuses on all rural areas of the block that are impoverished. However, its beneficiaries can be broadly divided into the following groups.
As financial aid, the government provides subsidies and loans or credits to the target population. These financial assets are offered by a variety of government-approved financial institutions. Subsidies are allocated based on the target group’s needs. The distribution is carried out in accordance with the following guidelines:
– Financial institutions provide a 25% subsidy to the first target category of small farmers.
– The second target category, rural craftsmen, marginal farmers, and agricultural laborers, receives a subsidy of 33.5 percent.
– Finally, these financial institutions subsidize the SC/ST and physically handicapped groups by 50%.
The ceiling for SC/ST and differently-abled group subsidies has been set at Rs.6000. For now, DPAP and non-DDP localities will be charged Rs.4000, while DPAP and DDP localities will be charged Rs.5000.
Guaranteed subsidies of 50%, 40%, and 3% are available to SC/ST, women, and differently-abled people, respectively. Priority is always given to groups with a limit excess, as well as Green Card holders, under free bonded worker and family assistance programs.
The IRDP is a Central Government initiative that is supported 50:50 by the federal and state governments. The Central Government provides funding to the states based on the proportion of the poor rural population in the state to the total poor rural population in the country. This process is followed in all Indian states and has been in place since 1980.
Various cooperatives, commercial banks, and regional rural banks provide productive financial assets and subsidies.
Other schemes, such as the Housing Scheme, were generally launched in a few blocks and subsequently expanded on a yearly basis. This resulted in non-uniform plan implementation and, as a result, negligible results. However, when it was implemented in 1980, IRDP encompassed the whole country. It made things more consistent in terms of functioning and generating results.
This consistency led to more accurate identification of diverse segments of society in need of assistance. A precise target group segmentation guaranteed that the different rural development programs under the IRDP had a microscopic effect. To address these challenges on a pan-India scale, a more integrated strategy was employed.
The strategy begins with the selection of a disadvantaged household. Then, with the family’s input, a suitable preliminary design is devised. Cooperative and commercial banks gather two-thirds of the resources. The plan is then submitted to the state government’s SLCC for approval under the IRDP. Following approval, a three-person committee is created to develop plans for each block. This committee ensures that all plans in each block are consistent.
Q1. How is the Funding for IRDP done?
The Integrated Rural Development Program is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme that is supported 50:50 by the federal government and the states. Since 1980, the system has been in operation in all of the country’s blocks. Under this plan, central monies are distributed to states based on the proportion of rural poor in each state compared to the overall rural poor in the country. Subsidies are provided by the government, while term credit is extended by financial institutions such as commercial banks, cooperatives, and regional rural banks.
Q2. Where is the scheme implemented?
District Rural Development Agencies carry out the program (DRDAs). The DRDA’s governing board consists of the local MP, MLA, Zila Parishad Chairman, heads of district development departments, and representatives of SCs, STs, and women.
Q3. What is the main objective of this program?
The major goal of IRDP was to lift BPL households in rural regions above the poverty line on a long-term basis by providing them with income-generating assets as well as access to finance and other inputs.
Q4. By whom was the IRDP Program launched?
The Janta administration created the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) in 1978-79 by combining the Community Area Development Programme (CADP), Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP), Small Farmer Development Agency (SFDA), and Marginal Farmers and Agricultural Labourers Agency (MFALA).
Q5. What is the core function of the program?
The primary goal of IRDP is to assist identified rural poor households in supplementing their earnings and crossing the poverty line through the acquisition of credit-based productive assets. The government provides assistance in the form of subsidies, and financial institutions provide term loans for income-generating enterprises.