Rural India needs to develop for the nation’s holistic development: Jaitley
The Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday that capital formation in agriculture and development of rural infrastructure is the key for improving the quality of life for the people in the countryside. Jaitley mentioned that the rural population is deprived of the basic amenities and the government will strive towards providing housing, toilets, power and a water tap within the household, along with access to roads to all the citizens.
He was addressing a seminar on rural finance organized by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The F.M requested the banks to provide affordable loans to the people in the rural areas so that they too can buy a home or expand their farming and businesses.
The irony is that 55-60 % of India’s population lives in rural areas but their share in national income is only 15 %. There is a huge divide in terms of education, facilities, awareness levels etc. between the urban and rural India and there is an uneven distribution of income.
He said that, with input costs going up, improvement in the quality of life of people in rural India is still not visible. However if this divide is not diminished and if rural and urban India does not grow hand in hand then the country will not progress as a nation. That is the reason why the proposal of 100 smart cities was put forward by the government so that the neighbouring villages to these new cities can also benefit from them.
Source- Mint
finance minister Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's maiden budget, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Rural Development, Rural Development Department, Rural development minister, Rural Development Ministry
