This study evalutes the implementation of Village Development Plans in Tamil Nadu and documents the perspectives of key stakeholders.
Background
A majority of villages in the country face constraints related to the accessibility and availability of public goods, physical infrastructure, and organized sources of livelihoods. These limitations hinder the development of rural populations, who are not aware and empowered enough to voice their concerns and Approach the relevant institutions. Mobilizing these communities to assess their own problems and needs thus becomes a prerequisite towards planning for development. To this end, NABARD has introduced the concept of Village Adoption/ Village Development Plan (VDP). The objective of Village Development Plans is to mobilize resources, create awareness, and ultimately provide the village with access to public services based on a needs assessment.
Approach
To collect information for the study, in-depth interviews, discussions, and focus group discussions were held with nodal agencies and Village Development Committees while involving other key institutions like NGOs, village Panchayats, bankers, and social workers. Apart from these, documents that detailed out the Village Development Plans were also reviewed to examine strategies and innovations.