TNPSC Rural Development Syllabus

Rural Development (Community Development) - (Code - 033)


UNIT I - Development: Meaning - Basic elements and objectives Rural Development: meaning, objectives, scope and importance of rural development. Approaches Gandhian approach; Community Development Approach; Sectoral Approach; Target Approach; Area approach; Minimum Need Approach; Integrated approach; Participatory Development approach.

Unit II - History of rural development in India – Experiments in rural development: rural development during pre-independence period - Sriniketan experiment –Gurgaon experiment –Marthandam experiment-Baroda
experiment – Firkha development scheme – Etawa pilot project – Nilokheri experiment – Gandhian Constructive Programmes.


Unit III - Community Development Programme (CDP) – objectives, principles, coverage, activities, organization, methods and techniques of CDP- Evaluation of CDP. -Development programmes and Panchayati Raj.

Unit IV - Agriculture and Rural development – share of agriculture in the national income – agriculture as a source of livelihood and employment – agriculture as a source of raw materials, capital for development, manpower, Agriculture Development Programmes: objective, target group, strategies and evaluation of Intensive Agriculture Development Programme. (IADP), Intensive Agriculture Area Programme (IAAP) and High Yield Variety Programme (Green revolution).

Unit V - Area specific Rural Development Programmes: Regional disparities – meaning,causes and consequences. Meaning and need for regional planning - objectives, activities, target groups and evaluation of Drought Prone Area Programme, Hill Area Development Programme, Tribal Area Development Programme, Command Area Development Programme, Integrated Wasteland Development Programme.

Unit VI - Alleviation of rural poverty: Meaning, concept, measurement of poverty, causes and consequences. Poverty eradication programmes: objectives, activities and target group, evaluation of Integrated Rural Development Programme, Swarna Jayanthi Grama Swarajgar Yojana, Employment Assurance Scheme.

Unit VII - Social Welfare schemes for rural uplift: Concept of social welfare, Objectives, scope, activities, performance of Antyodaya programme- Annapoorana scheme – Intensive Child Development Scheme (ICDS), schemes for rural housing, water supply and sanitation.

Unit VIII - Cooperatives and rural development – meaning and principles of cooperation. Objectives, functions, structure and performance of rural credit and non-credit cooperatives.

Unit IX - Community Organisation: Concept - meaning - basic assumptions – principles of community organizations. Self Help Group(SHG) as a community organization – structure and functions of SHG – performance of SHG in Tamil Nadu.

Unit X - Administration of rural development in India – administrative structure for rural development in Tamil Nadu – District Rural Development Agency(DRDA): Structure and functions; Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRI): Structure and functions; Non Governmental Organisation (NGO): Meaning and functions.