Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque and Dr. M Abul Kashem Mozumder :
Policy perspectives pursued by the state are clearly reflected in plan documents2. Past policy efforts as reflected in a series of development plans3 have placed a special emphasis on basic need orientation strategy. Basic thrust in policy intervention, thus, has been on rural development
Participatory policy framework with reference to rural development embodies the following strategies’0:
a) Participation in decision making.
b) Participation in implementation of rural development programmes.
c) Participation in monitoring and evaluation of action programmes.
d) Participation in sharing the benefit of development.
Yadau1′ suggested local level planning as a viable institutional model to promote the dominant goal of participatory framework. This is to be replicated with a comprehensive network of promotional organizations for the mobilization of the rural poor. Policy intervention with such preoccupation has the following concomitants12:
1. Production planning and technological choice.
2. Planning at the grass root.
3. Provision of support and service.
4. Redistributive measures.
5. Mobilization of local resources.
6. Optimum utilization of land, labour and other productive forces.
7. Institutional support for productive activities like research, extension service, credit operation, agro-processing and marketing (including agro-forestry).
8. Fair distribution of assets.
9. Preventing the process of pauperization.
10. Preventing marginalization of women and the landless.
11. Preventing flight of resources from rural to major urban centres.
12. Promoting self development capacity building establishing beneficiaries right over environment and use of land resources, trees, arable land, ponds, small river and other community resources.
13. Ensuring beneficiaries entitlement to food, recreational facilities and amenities.
14. Development of local self government and organizational infrastructures through decentralization.
Rural development policy has been announced long back. We have rural development policy of 2001. The overall progress of Bangladesh is subject to development of rural areas. Both government and non-government organizations are implementing multifarious programmes for rural uplift. Among these programmes, the significant ones cover micro-credit for poverty alleviation, social security, development of physical infrastructure of rural areas, women’s empowerment, education, health, family welfare, nutrition, promotion of environment etc. The necessity of formulating a “National Rural Development Policy” has long been felt in order that these programmes be implemented in an orchestrated manner and on the basis of clear directions.
The National Rural Development Policy has 7 sections. The main section is
Programmes that consists of 30 sub-sections. To mention a few sub-sections: Poverty Alleviation, Agro-based Rural Economy, Education for Rural Areas, Rural Health Services and Nutrition Development, Rural Population Control, Rural Industries Development, Empowerment of Rural Women, Cooperatives for Rural Development, Rural Environment Promotion, Power and Fuel Energy. In addition, the policy offers clear directions regarding rationale and background, aims and objectives, philosophy and principles, strategies and ways of implementation of the RD policy.
Among the issues emphasized in the National Rural Development Policy, the
Following are worth mentioning. a)Integration of all activities in rural development with a view to alleviating poverty; 1b) Improving the quality of life of women and the poor; c) Economic development of landless and marginal farmers; d) Expansion of education, health, nutrition and family welfare activities; e) Creation of opportunities for rural people to becomeself-reliant economically; f) Ensuring proper utilization of all existing resources of each house and each village; g) Development ofthe handicapped, tribal people, ethnic minorities, and so on;
It is expected that, because the National Rural Development Policy-2001 has gained entity, henceforth the inter ministerial and inter institutional relationship will get strengthened and the Ministries/ Departments will be able to identify and coordinate their roles and responsibilities that will help to harmonies all rural development efforts and achieve the desired goal.
The tremendous task for the public implementing agencies is to improve the decentralization and participatory policies so that the disadvantaged group can enjoy the fruits of development. However, the task is shared with theNGOs requiring the poor to assimilate to the mainstream of the community. Now-a-days programmes under participatory rural development policy tailored carefully to reduce the gap been aspiration and achievement require ‘NGO-development management’ GO-NGO co-ordination, and the involvement of the third sector and civil societies
Policy intervention with regard to the rural sector now-a-days is by and large regulated by ‘new style’ programme categories. These include: raising the productivity and real income including employment opportunities in farm and non-farm sectors, safety nets, organizational links to ensure smooth policy function (policy formulation, policy implementation and policy evaluation), appropriate management technologies and organizational innovations to ensure access of the beneficiaries to inputs and resources, training programme with the provision of investment on human capital for productive use of resources, subsidies, result-oriented projects, planned rural development projects, target group approach, integrated rural development, comprehensive rural development, food-assisted infra-structure development programme, backup support from extension agencies, nutrition development programme, poverty alleviation with micro-credit support, replication of grameen bank model, non-formal education environment friendly rural development projects, NGO intervention as policy advocacy, GO-NGO collaboration, local governance for the proper running of service delivery system.
The experiences with policy intervention thus have been accumulated in a series of development plans and programmatic measures. The basic thrust in rural development is on grassroots institution “capable of providing adequate and timely support and services to a large number of poor farmers and small rural inhabitants/entrepreneurs”4.
The institutions involved in operational and implementation aspect, of rural development policies are available in plenty. The Ministry of local Govt. and Rural Development (LGRD) happens to be the key note of institutional intervention providing overall policy guidance and ‘advisory assistance’ to the institutions responsible for administration of the rural development programmes. The major institutions involved in managing action research and experimental projects are Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB), The Department of Cooperatives (DOC), Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development, (BARD) and Rural Development Academy (RDA).
NGO’s supportive and advocacy role in policy intervention in rural sector is admittedly great. They have come up with firm commitment to share policy functions with the public promotional agencies in two ways: joint collaboration and devising project plans with well defined sets of activities conforming to general policy guidelines.
Voluntary action of NGO guided by ‘participatory, flexible and adaptive planning’ at the grass root paves for organization dynamicism, collective action, social mobilization and conscientieation. National, local and international voluntary social organizations in Bangladesh have justified this ‘policy advocacy’ role and modus operandi with apt management, efficient implementation, result oriented prompt action, quick response to beneficiaries’ call for support rectifying snagsand loophole in supply and receiving mechanism and producing new programmes as timely measures of policy action. At present NGOs like BRAC, PROSIKA, ASA, JOJAJOG, BARCIK, MCC, SOyA, CARE, IUCW, WVB, CRWRC, MIDAS, SOS, VERC, to mention a few, are partners in rural development in Bangladesh. Table-3 shows NGO operation with policy options focussing on rural clients.
(Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque, Public Administration, Chittagong University and Dr. M Abul Kashem Mozumder, Member PSC)
