Lessons from Antyodaya for the integrated rural development

The paper reviews Antyodaya the programme of the Government of Rajasthan to raise the income of the poorest citizens. The analysis is based on a survey of 50 beneficiaries. The involvement of the village community in identifying the beneficiaries was a notable feature of the programme. However, like many such programmes, in this one too, quantitative targetry overshadowed solid achievement and the goal of economic self-reliance for the poorest. The implications of the Antyodaya experience for the Integrated Rural Development Programme of the Government of India, involving an annual expenditure of over a billion rupees, are sketched, and some suggestions for its more effective management made.