Key Points
Key Points: Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) – Bharmaur
- Bharmaur tribal region (Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh) is inhabited by the Gaddi tribe, who traditionally practised transhumance and had an agriculture-cum-pastoral economy.
- The region has harsh climate, low resource base and difficult mountainous terrain, making it one of the most economically and socially backward areas of the state.
- In 1974, under the Fifth Five Year Plan, Bharmaur was selected as an Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) to improve the quality of life and reduce regional imbalance.
- The ITDP mainly focused on infrastructure development such as roads, schools, healthcare, drinking water, electricity and communication. However, remote areas like Tundah and Kugti still lack sufficient facilities.
- Social and economic improvements include rise in literacy (especially female literacy), better sex ratio, decline in child marriage, increase in cash crops, and gradual decline in traditional pastoralism.
Key Points: Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area (Case Study)
- Indira Gandhi Canal (earlier Rajasthan Canal) is one of the largest canal systems in India, launched on 31 March 1958, and starts from Harike Barrage (Punjab).
- It runs parallel to the Pakistan border in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, with a total planned length of 9,060 km, irrigating about 19.63 lakh hectares.
- The canal was built in two stages:
Stage I: Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, north Bikaner (5.53 lakh ha)
Stage II: Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Churu (14.10 lakh ha) - Canal irrigation started in Stage I (1960s) and Stage II (1980s), which transformed the region’s ecology, economy and society, making the dry desert land greener.
- Positive impact includes afforestation, reduced wind erosion and increased farming, but excessive irrigation caused serious problems like waterlogging and soil salinity, reducing long-term agricultural sustainability.
Key Points: Measures for Promotion of Sustainable Development
- Strict water management policy must be followed, with protective irrigation in Stage-I and controlled irrigation plus pasture development in Stage-II.
- Water-intensive crops should be avoided and farmers should be encouraged to grow less water-requiring plantation crops like citrus fruits.
- CAD programmes like lining of canals, land levelling, and warabandi system should be properly implemented to reduce water loss and ensure equal distribution.
- Waterlogged and saline lands must be reclaimed to restore soil fertility and maintain long-term agricultural productivity.
- Sustainable development also needs afforestation, shelter belts, pasture development, along with financial support to poor farmers and economic diversification beyond agriculture.
Key Points: Planning and Target Area Planning
- Planning means thinking, preparing and implementing programmes to achieve goals. In economics, it refers to organised efforts for economic development, not hit-and-miss methods.
- India adopted centralised planning after Independence, and later moved to decentralised multi-level planning. In 2015, the Planning Commission was replaced by NITI Aayog.
- NITI Aayog aims to involve states in economic policy-making and provides strategic and technical advice to Central and State governments.
- There are two main types of planning:
i. Sectoral Planning – Development of different sectors like agriculture, industry, transport, etc.
ii. Regional Planning – Reducing regional imbalances in development. - Target Area Planning focuses on economically backward areas through programmes like Command Area Development, Drought Prone Area Development, Desert Development and Hill Area Development.
- Hill Area Development Programme aimed at developing hill regions by promoting horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry, small-scale industries, etc., based on local conditions.
- Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) was started to provide employment, improve irrigation, develop land and restore ecological balance in drought-affected regions.
Key Points: Sustainable Development
- Development is a multi-dimensional concept that means positive and irreversible improvement in the economy, society and environment.
- Earlier, development was measured only by economic growth (GNP and per capita income), but later it was realised that growth alone does not remove poverty and inequality.
- From the 1970s and 1980s, development began to include social well-being, such as health, education, equality, political and civil rights.
- The idea of sustainable development emerged due to environmental concerns caused by industrial growth and overuse of resources.
- According to the Brundtland Report (1987), sustainable development means meeting present needs without harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
