Integrated Rural Development Programmes – UPSC Geography Optional & GS Paper II 2025–26

The Integrated Rural Development Programmes (IRDPs) in India constitute a vital component of India's strategy for eradicating poverty in rural areas, lessening inequality, and achieving all-round rural development in rural areas. IRDPs seek to deal with the several-sided nature of rural deprivation by encompassing several dimensions, including the creation of employment opportunities, enhancement of agricultural productivity, encouragement of infrastructure, and improvement in access to basic services. Rooted in post-independence rural development planning, the concept evolved through various Five-Year Plans, with particular focus emerging during the 1970s and 1980s when the government began consolidating individual schemes under a more structured, integrated approach. From community development programmes to poverty alleviation schemes like the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), these initiatives reflect India’s ongoing struggle and strategy to transform its rural economy through targeted planning, institutional collaboration, and grassroots empowerment.

What Will You Learn from This Article?

This section outlines what a UPSC aspirant will gain after studying this article in detail:

• What is Integrated Rural Development?
• What Are the Key Programmes Under IRDP?
• How Has IRDP Changed Over the Years?
• What Role Do Institutions and Panchayati Raj Bodies Play? 
• How to Critically Evaluate IRDP in UPSC Mains?

Important Points for Revision for UPSC Mains

This section consolidates important facts, schemes, and themes to aid your UPSC Mains responses:

• IRDP aims to provide employment and income-generating assets to rural poor households.
• The Community Development Programme (1952) marked the beginning of structured rural development.
• CDP was based on village-level participation and aimed at self-reliance and community-building.
• It evolved through three phases: National Extension, Intensive Development, and Post-Development supervision.
• Major institutional levels: Planning Commission (Centre), State Development Committee (State), Zilla Parishad (District), Block Panchayat (Block), Gram Panchayat (Village).
• Gram Sevak acts as the village-level multipurpose functionary.
• Land reforms of the 1960s aimed to abolish intermediaries and redistribute land.
• The Green Revolution increased agricultural output but also led to regional disparities and class polarization.
• The Post-Green Revolution phase saw area-centric and employment-focused programmes.
• Key schemes of 1970s–80s: TRYSEM, NREP, RLEGP, JRY, Antyodaya, IRDP, Minimum Needs Programme.
• MGNREGS is the first employment programme with legal backing (under an Act of Parliament).
• IRDP operates on a household-based model focusing on self-employment.
• Criticism of IRDP: corruption, leakages, failure to reach the poorest, lack of coordination, and overemphasis on agriculture.
• Programmes are often guided by political motives rather than local needs.
• Disparities continue due to elite capture of resources and limited community ownership.
• Programmes like IRDP remain important for Essay, GS Paper II & III, and Optional (Geography, Sociology, PSIR).

Meaning and Concept of Rural Development

Rural development is a systematic strategy that aims to improve the quality of life and economic well-being of people who live in comparatively remote and sparsely populated regions. It acknowledges a variety of sectors, but not limited to agriculture, education, health, housing, infrastructure, and social services.

• The Planning Commission describes rural development as a planned intervention for the change of economic and social life.
• Key characteristics of rural development:
  • Agricultural and non-agricultural employment generation
  • Enhancement of infrastructure (roads, electrification, communication)
  • Access to health and education
  • Decentralized participation and empowerment

The IRDP was the result of the need to evolve a self-reliant rural economy by bringing existing welfare schemes and institutions into an integrated framework.

Phases of Rural Development in India

1. First Phase – Community Development Programme (1952)

• CDP was the first post-independence initiative for rural transformation.
• It viewed the village as a unified community.
• Aimed to foster self-reliance, reduce dependency, and build human capabilities.
• Influenced by earlier experiments like:
  • Etawah Project
  • Nilokheri Project
  • Firca Scheme
• Emphasis was on:
  • Construction (roads, schools, community centers)
  • Agriculture (irrigation, seeds, pest control)
  • Social development (literacy, health centers, women's groups)
• CDP was executed in 3 phases:
  • National Extension: Basic services with low expenditure
  • Intensive Development: High-investment model in selected blocks
  • Post-Development: Minimal government intervention

2. Administrative Setup

• Central Level: Planning Commission, Prime Minister, ministers of concerned departments
• State Level: Chaired by the Chief Minister; ensures coordination
• District Level: Zilla Parishad, District Collector, development officers
• Block Level: Block Development Officer (BDO), extension officers
• Village Level: Gram Panchayat, Gram Sevak

Role of Gram Sevak:

• Acts as a link between administration and villagers
• Motivates community participation
• Assists in programme formulation and leadership training

Second Phase of Rural Development (1960s–Mid-1970s)

During this time, there was a big change in how rural development was done.After the Community Development Programme (CDP) had some success, the focus moved to agrarian reform and increasing agricultural production.

1. Land Reforms

Implemented in the early 1960s, land reforms aimed to eliminate feudal land structures and empower cultivators.

Objectives:

• Abolition of intermediaries
• Ownership rights to tenants
• Ceiling on land holdings
• Consolidation of fragmented land
• Modernization of land records

Critique:

• Success limited to abolition of intermediaries; landless laborers remained unaffected.
• High ceilings allowed elite landowners to bypass redistribution.
• Land reform benefits were uneven—West Bengal was an exception, where around 10% land was declared surplus.

Scholars' Views:

• Alexandra George criticized ceiling laws as political maneuvering.
• V.M. Dandekar found that barely 1% of land was redistributed.
• Bandopadhyay observed only 1.8% of 12% potential surplus land was redistributed.

Green Revolution (Mid–1960s Onwards)

Introduced to meet food needs, the Green Revolution promoted High Yielding Varieties (HYVs), fertilizer, and irrigation in states such as Punjab, Haryana, and Western UP.

Impact:

• Increased food grain production, especially wheat.
• New class formation emerged—rich landlords, middle peasants, landless laborers.
• Regional and class inequalities widened.

Critiques by Scholars:

• Francis Frawell emphasized success only in wheat-growing regions.
• Joan Mencher observed benefits were confined to wealthier farmers.
• Bhalla and Chadha found long-term labor demand increased, but mechanization later reduced demand, worsening rural unemployment.

Third Phase of Rural Development (1970s–1980s)

With mass rural poverty persisting, this phase introduced Area-Based Development and Poverty-Alleviation Employment Schemes.

A. Area Development Programmes

• Drought-Prone Area Programme (DPAP)
• Hill Area Development Programme
• Command Area Development Programme

B. Employment and Welfare Programmes

• Twenty Point Programme
• Indira Awas Yojana
• Rural Cleanliness Scheme
• Rural Electrification
• Minimum Needs Programme (MNP)

Outcomes and Criticism:

• Balwant Rai Mehta Study revealed only 2.5% families benefited under CDP.
• Structural poverty persisted; workers had only 3 months of employment annually.
• Fourth Rural Labour Enquiry Commission (1983) found nearly 50% of the rural population in permanent debt.

Fourth Phase of Rural Development (1990s Onwards)

The 1990s saw a watershed moment with the introduction of Liberalization, Privatization, and Globalization (LPG) reforms. Rural development strategies now included right-based and inclusive schemes.

Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)

Launched in 1980 (extended nationally by 1982), IRDP was a household-based scheme to enable self-employment in agriculture, services, and industries.

Objectives:

• Help families cross the poverty line by developing productive assets
• Promote self-employment among small farmers, landless laborers, artisans

Criticism of IRDP:

• Corruption and leakages; poor families had to pay bribes, lacked access to guarantors.
• Studies across Rajasthan, Gujarat, WB, UP, and Karnataka show little impact on actual poverty reduction.
• Poor asset durability, lack of area-specific planning.

TRYSEM (Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment)

Launched in 1979, this aimed to train youth aged 18–35 from BPL households in technical skills for self-employment.

Features:

• Priority for SC/ST, women (1/3rd reservation), and ex-servicemen
• Training linked to IRDP loan benefits

Criticism:

• Coverage too small relative to demand
• Skills not aligned with rural industrialization
• Low stipend failed to motivate youth

NREP & RLEGP

National Rural Employment Programme (NREP)

• Formerly "Food for Work" (FWP)
• Created wage employment using food grains
• Focus on roads, flood control, sanitation, and drinking water in Harijan colonies

Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP)

• Provided wage employment at Rs. 3/day
• Maharashtra’s version funded by EGS surcharge on taxes

Critique:

• Later merged into Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY)
• Limited wage rates and leakages were common

Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY)

Merged NREP and RLEGP to offer employment to one person per BPL family for 50–100 days/year.

• 30% reservation for women
• Funded 80% by Centre
• Implemented through Panchayats

Shortcomings:

• Delay in fund disbursal
• Misappropriation of central funds in some states

Antyodaya Programme

Targeted the poorest families in each village. Gram Sabha selected five families annually for asset creation and pensions.

• Assistance for bullocks, carpentry, shops, and livestock
• Monthly pension of Rs. 30–40

Impact:

• Personalized targeting, but scale remained limited

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)

Flagship rights-based employment guarantee scheme providing 100 days of unskilled manual work per rural household.

Key Features:

• Legal guarantee of work
• Unemployment allowance if work not given within 15 days
• One-third jobs reserved for women
• 50% implementation via Gram Panchayats
• Transparency & social audits

Significance:

• Increased rural wages and bargaining power
• Strengthened decentralized governance
• Shifted paradigm from welfare to rights-based development

UPSC Mains PYQs on Integrated Rural Development Programmes

This section includes actual UPSC Mains questions related to Integrated Rural Development Programmes, taken from General Studies and Geography papers.

• Discuss the role of Integrated Rural Development Programme in poverty alleviation in India. (UPSC GS Mains, 2004)
• What are the major rural development programmes in India? Evaluate their success in the context of inclusive growth. (UPSC GS Mains, 2012)
• Evaluate the role of MGNREGA in empowering rural women in India. (UPSC GS Mains, 2015)
• Explain the role of self-help groups in rural development. (UPSC GS Mains, 2017)
• Highlight the significance of watershed management programmes in integrated rural development. (UPSC GS Mains, 2020)

Important Books on Integrated Rural Development Programmes (UPSC Geography Optional & GS Papers)

The following table lists the most relevant and trusted sources for preparing this topic for Geography Optional and GS Paper I & III in UPSC Mains:

This article offers a comprehensive overview of the Integrated Rural Development Programmes for UPSC aspirants. Also, download the Testbook App from the Play Store to get more details and unlimited study materials for the UPSC Prelims and Mains exams.