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The rural-urban divide continues despite a high growth rate. According to the 61st round of the National Sample Survey, apart from rural-urban wage differentials, gender differentials are very much a part of the present-day Indian economy. The urban regular wage earner earned Rs 194 a day, which was one-and-a-half times the rural average of Rs 134 a day in 2004-05. Interestingly, the wage gap is most pronounced among graduates. An analysis. Rural areas have long been a source of food, raw materials and labour for cities. So too are cities places of opportunity for rural dwellers, providing markets for agricultural products, specialised services and sources of temporary employment and shelter. Urban-rural linkages are particularly intense in the peri-urban interface, characterised by constant flux, complex social structures and fragmented institutions. The rural-urban divide continues to prevail in India despite a high growth rate. According to the 61st round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), apart from rural-urban wage differentials, gender differentials are very much a part of the present-day Indian economy. Women head about 11 per cent of the households in India. Comparatively, they have, on an average, a relatively smaller household size and a much higher sex ratio. In as many as 26 per cent of the households in the rural areas and 8 per cent in the urban areas, there is no single member in the age group of 15 years and above who can read and write a simple message with understanding. The gender differential in the worker population ratio (WPR) is distinct - 55 per cent for men and 33 per cent for women in rural areas; 55 per cent for men and 17 per cent for women in urban areas. According to the NSS, about 42 per cent of the population in the country is usually employed. The proportion is 44 per cent in rural areas and 37 per cent in urban segments. Nearly 700 million Indians live in 600,000 villages across rural India. Connectivity of village complexes providing economic opportunities to all segments of people is an urgent need. There is also an urgent need to innovate to increase connectivities to villages, making clusters out of them even while retaining their individuality. In as many as 26 per cent of the households in the rural areas and 8 per cent in the urban areas, there is no single member in the age group of 15 years and above who can read and write a simple message with understanding. In rural areas, work participation rate (WPR) in the usual status has increased by about 2 per cent for men and by about 3 per cent for women. In urban areas, the rates have increased by about 3 per cent for both men and women. The urban regular wage earner earns Rs 194 a day, which is one-and-a-half times the rural average of Rs 134 a day in 2004-05, according to the study. Also, a male wage earner earns nearly twice his female counterpart in rural areas and about 1.3 times in urban areas. The rural-urban wage gap is the most pronounced among graduates. A rural graduate on an average earns Rs 253 per day, which is substantially lower than his urban counterpart who earns Rs 344 per day. In case of illiterates, an urban illiterate worker earns Rs 77 per day, which is only Rs 17 more than his rural counterpart at Rs 60. On a state-wise basis, for rural areas, Kerala tops the list in paying the highest daily wages to both male (Rs 135) and female (Rs 65) workers. Male workers fare well in the states of Jammu and Kashmir (Rs 100), Himachal Pradesh (Rs 89), Punjab (Rs 75) and Haryana. Chattisgarh figured at the bottom of the list, with male workers earning Rs 37 per day. For female workers, the conditions are quite dismal as the lowest average daily wage paid is as low as Rs 28 (in Maharashtra). In as many as five states, the average wage rate of female casual labourers is less than Rs 31. These states are Chattisgarh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The integrated method that will bring prosperity to rural India is called PURA or Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas. This envisages four connectivities: physical connectivity through quality roads and transport; electronic connectivity through telecom with high bandwidth fibre optic cables; knowledge connectivity through education, skill training for farmers, artisans and craftsmen and entrepreneurship programmes. For providing knowledge connectivity to PURA complexes, VKCs will act as frontline delivery systems. The VKC should provide the essential data required for the targeted population such as farmers, fishermen, craftsmen, traders, businessmen, entrepreneurs, unemployed youth, and students. It has to be acquired by visiting the village, talking to the rural populace, by understanding their requirement and core competence. Governments have been emphasising economic development by ensuring growth rates of seven to eight per cent annually, enhancing the welfare of farmers and workers and unleashing the creativity of entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers. This opportunity must be fully utilised to bridge the rural-urban divide, using knowledge as a tool.
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