Published Paper Details:

After more than 70 years of independence, around 70 percent of the Indian population still lives in rural India. This means that rural development remains core to the economic development of the entire nation. Its importance is not limited to the economic arena but has far reaching implications in the social and environmental areas as well. However, the reality of rural India is lack of infrastructure, dilapidated healthcare facilities, poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, and various social issues. These are recurrent issues in the Indian rural scenario and people residing in the villages have been suffering for a reasonably long time. In other words, we can say that the problems of rural India have not changed much since the time of independence. Hence, it would not be wrong to look into the solutions offered by the leaders and thinkers of that time. The primary aim of this research paper is to understand the ideas of great thinkers around rural development and to enquire into the working of these ideas in modern India. The paper focuses on two major policies in constructive programs namely, self sufficiency and women empowerment. Self sufficiency, a timeless concept, has been given a unique touch by Swaraj which has had led the way for the various provision of the village self-government. On the other hand, in the last few years, women's empowerment has become quite a pressing issue. The data used in the study is gathered from existing research on the topic. The study reveals that the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, Swami Vivekananda and others are a source of inspiration for modern policymakers. At the same time, these ideas have not been implemented in the manner and spirit as the leaders had envisioned. Various reasons have been suggested for this lack of implementation. This study throws light on the theoretical aspects of the policies on rural development and can be useful for further investigations in the field of policymaking and other educational purposes.