<h5 id="target-area-planning">Target Area Planning</h5> <ul> <li>The planning process should give special attention to economically backward areas, as economic development depends on the region’s resource base, technology, and investment.</li> <li>The ’target area’ and ’target group’ approaches to planning were introduced by the Planning Commission to address the widening regional and social disparities.</li> <li>Examples of programs for target areas include Command Area Development Programme, Drought Prone Area Development Programme, Desert Development Programme, and Hill Area Development Programme.</li> <li>The Small Farmers Development Agency (SFDA) and Marginal Farmers Development Agency (MFDA) are examples of target group programs.</li> <li>In the 8th Five Year Plan, special area programs were designed to develop infrastructure in hill areas, north-eastern states, tribal areas, and backward areas.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="hill-area-development-programme">Hill Area Development Programme</h5> <ul> <li>Hill Area Development Programmes were initiated in the Fifth Five Year Plan for 15 hilly districts.</li> <li>The National Committee on the Development of Backward Areas in 1981 recommended treating all hill areas in the country with a height above 600 m as backward hill areas, excluding those under tribal sub-plan.</li> <li>Detailed plans for development of hill areas were drawn based on topographical, ecological, social, and economic conditions.</li> <li>The programmes aimed at harnessing indigenous resources through development of horticulture, plantation, agriculture, animal husbandry, poultry, forestry, and small-scale and village industry.</li> <li>The focus was on backward hill areas, with a height over 600 m, which were not covered under tribal sub-plan.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="drought-prone-area-programme">Drought Prone Area Programme</h5> <ul> <li>The Drought Prone Area Programme was initiated during the Fourth Five Year Plan with the objectives of providing employment and creating productive assets, with an initial focus on labor-intensive civil works.</li> <li>The programme later emphasized on irrigation projects, land development, afforestation, grassland development, and creation of basic rural infrastructure.</li> <li>The programme has been primarily focused on the development of agriculture and allied sectors, with a major focus on restoring ecological balance.</li> <li>The Planning Commission of India (1967) identified 67 districts prone to drought, and the Irrigation Commission (1972) introduced the criterion of 30 per cent irrigated area to demarcate the drought-prone areas.</li> <li>The drought-prone areas in India are spread over semi-arid and arid tracts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western Madhya Pradesh, Marathwada region of Maharashtra, Rayalseema and Telangana plateaus of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka plateau and highlands, and interior parts of Tamil Nadu.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="case-study---integrated-tribal-development-project-in-bharmaur-region">Case Study - Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur* Region</h5> <ul> <li>Bharmaur tribal region, located in Himachal Pradesh, is inhabited by the Gaddi tribal community, known for their transhumance and practice of the Gaddiali dialect.</li> <li>The region, with a population of 39,113 (as per 2011 census), is economically and socially backward due to harsh climate conditions, low resource base, and fragile environment.</li> <li>The region was designated as an Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) in 1974, aiming to improve the quality of life of the Gaddis and narrow the development gap with other areas of Himachal Pradesh.</li> <li>The ITDP has significantly contributed to infrastructure development, particularly in schools, healthcare facilities, potable water, roads, communications, and electricity, mainly benefiting villages along the river Ravi.</li> <li>The social benefits include a significant increase in literacy rates, improvement in sex ratio, and decline in child marriage, with the female literacy rate rising from 1.88% in 1971 to 65% in 2011. The cultivation of pulses and cash crops has increased, but traditional technology is still used.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="sustainable-development">Sustainable Development</h5> <ul> <li>Development is a multi-dimensional concept that involves the positive, irreversible transformation of the economy, society, and environment.</li> <li>The concept of development was initially associated with economic growth, measured by the increase in GNP and per capita income. However, it evolved to include redistribution with growth, improving people’s well-being, living standards, health, education, equality of opportunity, and ensuring political and civil rights.</li> <li>The notion of sustainable development emerged in the late 1960s due to growing environmental concerns. It was defined by the Brundtland Report in 1987 as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”</li> <li>Sustainable development encompasses ecological, social, and economic aspects of development, focusing on conserving resources for future generations and considering the development of the whole human kind.</li> <li>The United Nations established the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) to address environmental issues, which resulted in the Brundtland Report and the definition of sustainable development.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="case-study">Case Study</h5> <ol> <li>The Case Study is a new approach to teaching, focusing on real-life scenarios and practical applications.</li> <li>It involves the analysis of a real-world situation, leading to a better understanding of the theory.</li> <li>The Case Study method promotes critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and encourages students to apply their knowledge.</li> <li>It also fosters independent learning and teamwork, as students often work in groups to solve complex problems.</li> <li>The Case Study method can be used in various fields, from business and law to medicine and education.</li> <li>It requires careful planning and preparation, as well as the ability to facilitate discussions and guide learning.</li> </ol> <p>======</p> <h5 id="indira-gandhi-canal-nahar-command-area">Indira Gandhi Canal (Nahar) Command Area</h5> <ul> <li>The Indira Gandhi Canal is one of the largest canal systems in India, originating at Harike barrage in Punjab and running parallel to the Pakistan border.</li> <li>It has a total planned length of 9,060 km, catering to the irrigation needs of a command area of 19.63 lakh hectares. This area is divided into two stages: Stage-I (5.53 lakh hectares) and Stage-II (14.10 lakh hectares).</li> <li>The command area of Stage-I is in Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and northern part of Bikaner districts, while Stage-II is in Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur and Churu districts.</li> <li>The construction work of the canal system has been carried out in two stages, with lift canals lifting water up against the slope of the land and all canals on the right bank of the main canal being flow channels.</li> <li>The canal has transformed the ecology, economy and society of the region, leading to greening of land, reducing wind erosion and siltation of canal systems. However, intensive irrigation and excessive use of water has led to environmental problems such as waterlogging and soil salinity.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="measures-for-promotion-of-sustainable-development">Measures for Promotion of Sustainable Development</h5> <ul> <li>The ecological sustainability of the Indira Gandhi Canal Project has been questioned, with scholars pointing to environmental degradation over four decades.</li> <li>Seven measures proposed to promote sustainable development include:</li> </ul> <p>======</p>