The Department of Rural Development, Govt. of Goa is largely involved in identifying the rural sections or the backward and underdeveloped class of the state and to make them improve their present source of livelihood.
The rural regions in India are considered to be the backward and underdeveloped section of society, which lacks enough scope to facilitate education and employment among individuals. As a consequence of this, the majority of inhabitants of the rural sector have always lived below the poverty line. The Ministry of Rural Development in Goa or the Department of Rural Development, Govt. of Goa decided upon implementing a range of beneficiary programs in order to improve the condition of the households living below the poverty line. Some of the welfare programs formulated by the ministry of rural development in Goa are listed as under:
- To reach out to the most underdeveloped corner of the society and identify the problems faced by the inhabitants
- To generate every possible kinds of employment in those disadvantaged sections of the state
- To ameliorate the infrastructure in the rural areas in order to ensure industrial benefits which will ensure employment among the rural youths
- To ensure education by setting up academic institutions in different areas of the rural region to make the backward section competent enough to stand at par with the urban sections of the state
In the state of Goa, the welfare programs designed for the betterment of the rural poor were entitled to two District Rural Development Agencies. One of these district rural development agencies is located in North Goa and the other one is located in South Goa. These two agencies were set up after the Small Farmers Development Agency (S.F.D.A.) came into existence under the state government. Small Farmers Development Agency (S.F.D.A.) was merged with the then Rural development Agency in the year 1980. This Rural Development Agency was again divided into two parts and was named as the District Rural Development Agency- North Goa and District Rural Development Agency- South Goa.
The primary objectives of the two District Rural Development Agencies in Goa constitutes the following:
- To govern the rural sections of the state of Goa
- To implement a range of welfare programmes to the rural corners of the state jointly with the Block Development Officers
- To suggest various measures to the state government with regard to the improvement of the backward corner of the society
- To execute and implement various measures that are being decided upon by the state government as well as the Government of India for uplifting the livelihood and economic status of the inhabitants of rural areas
The Department of Rural Development, Govt. of Goa therefore is deeply involved in the improvement of the rural sections of the state. As a result the living conditions have improved largely in these disadvantaged areas of Goa and this has raised the general socio-economic conditions of the state as well.
last Updated 25/05/2011
