The models and the aspiring models: assessing the sustainable rural development philosophy and reality in India through multi-dimensional indices
IntroductionThe key to sustainable societies and food systems in developing countries like India is sustainable rural development because majority population reside in rural areas. In India, the Gandhian philosophy of rural self sustainability has been a major inspiration in shaping not only individ...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| author | Sangeeta Bhattacharyya R. R. Burman Rabindra Nath Padaria Sudipta Paul Palanisamy Venkatesh Anindita Datta Pinaki Roy Suchandra Dutta Samrat Sikdar Savita Kumari |
| author_facet | Sangeeta Bhattacharyya R. R. Burman Rabindra Nath Padaria Sudipta Paul Palanisamy Venkatesh Anindita Datta Pinaki Roy Suchandra Dutta Samrat Sikdar Savita Kumari |
| author_sort | Sangeeta Bhattacharyya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionThe key to sustainable societies and food systems in developing countries like India is sustainable rural development because majority population reside in rural areas. In India, the Gandhian philosophy of rural self sustainability has been a major inspiration in shaping not only individual or philanthropic rural development efforts (philosophical and less planned), but also government rural development programmes (RDPs which are planned reality of the philosophy).MethodsIn this study, the authors assess the progressiveness of ‘Aspiring' self-sustainable villages (planned reality) developed under a governmental rural self-sustainability programme named Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) in comparison with the Model Villages of the Past (based on philosophy with no governmental intervention/philanthropic)as both categories of villages were developed on the basis of Gandhian philosophy of rural self-sustainability but there exists no comprehensive measure for comparing the progress of SAGY Villages (developed on realistic indicator based approach) with the Model Villages of the past (developed solely on philosophical approach) even after a decade of implementation of SAGY. Hence 7 multi-dimensional composite indices were developed in this study for comparative assessment after careful triangulation of indicators. Rural Health Status Index/RHSI (8 indicators), Rural Educational Status Index/RESI (6 indicators), Rural Farming Status Index/RFSI (8 indicators), Rural Infrastructure Index/RIF (40 indicators), Rural Livestock Status Index/RLSI (8 indicators), Rural Ecological Status Index/RECSI (7 indicators) and Status of Rural Women Index/SRWI (6 indicators) were developed using Categorical Principal Components Analysis method. Validation of the indices were done with 1200 respondents (n = 1200) of Model Villages and SAGY Villages of Maharashtra and Telangana states.Results and discussionThe SAGY villages of Telangana were found to have progressed more than the Models of their state in terms of educational (RESI = 0.87), farming (RFSI = 1.06), livestock (RLSI = 1.31) and ecological status (RECSI = 0.56). The aspirant SAGY villages of Maharashtra were found to have excelled their Models in terms of health (RHSI = 1.62), farming (RFSI = 1.5) and livestock status (RLSI = 1.29). Secondary database of District Census Handbook having household level quantitative data of sub-districts were found to be in corroboration with the index values (primary data analysis) obtained. The indices developed have scope of replication in similar rural systems of the world. |
| format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-a5ed968ecaff4ab8acd9e2d66f19a1fd2025-08-20T02:08:49ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2025-06-01910.3389/fsufs.2025.15613991561399The models and the aspiring models: assessing the sustainable rural development philosophy and reality in India through multi-dimensional indicesSangeeta Bhattacharyya0R. R. Burman1Rabindra Nath Padaria2Sudipta Paul3Palanisamy Venkatesh4Anindita Datta5Pinaki Roy6Suchandra Dutta7Samrat Sikdar8Savita Kumari9ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute, Nagpur, Maharashtra, IndiaIndian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Anusandhan Bhavan-I (KAB-I), New Delhi, IndiaICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, IndiaICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha, IndiaICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, IndiaICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, IndiaKrishi Vigyan Kendra, Sitamarhi, Bihar, IndiaRamakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Kolkata, West Bengal, IndiaCollege of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, United StatesCollege of Horticulture and Forestry, Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, IndiaIntroductionThe key to sustainable societies and food systems in developing countries like India is sustainable rural development because majority population reside in rural areas. In India, the Gandhian philosophy of rural self sustainability has been a major inspiration in shaping not only individual or philanthropic rural development efforts (philosophical and less planned), but also government rural development programmes (RDPs which are planned reality of the philosophy).MethodsIn this study, the authors assess the progressiveness of ‘Aspiring' self-sustainable villages (planned reality) developed under a governmental rural self-sustainability programme named Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) in comparison with the Model Villages of the Past (based on philosophy with no governmental intervention/philanthropic)as both categories of villages were developed on the basis of Gandhian philosophy of rural self-sustainability but there exists no comprehensive measure for comparing the progress of SAGY Villages (developed on realistic indicator based approach) with the Model Villages of the past (developed solely on philosophical approach) even after a decade of implementation of SAGY. Hence 7 multi-dimensional composite indices were developed in this study for comparative assessment after careful triangulation of indicators. Rural Health Status Index/RHSI (8 indicators), Rural Educational Status Index/RESI (6 indicators), Rural Farming Status Index/RFSI (8 indicators), Rural Infrastructure Index/RIF (40 indicators), Rural Livestock Status Index/RLSI (8 indicators), Rural Ecological Status Index/RECSI (7 indicators) and Status of Rural Women Index/SRWI (6 indicators) were developed using Categorical Principal Components Analysis method. Validation of the indices were done with 1200 respondents (n = 1200) of Model Villages and SAGY Villages of Maharashtra and Telangana states.Results and discussionThe SAGY villages of Telangana were found to have progressed more than the Models of their state in terms of educational (RESI = 0.87), farming (RFSI = 1.06), livestock (RLSI = 1.31) and ecological status (RECSI = 0.56). The aspirant SAGY villages of Maharashtra were found to have excelled their Models in terms of health (RHSI = 1.62), farming (RFSI = 1.5) and livestock status (RLSI = 1.29). Secondary database of District Census Handbook having household level quantitative data of sub-districts were found to be in corroboration with the index values (primary data analysis) obtained. The indices developed have scope of replication in similar rural systems of the world.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1561399/fullGandhian philosophyself-sustainable villagesModel villagesrural development in Indiamultidimensional composite indicesmeasurement of rural progressiveness |
| spellingShingle | Sangeeta Bhattacharyya R. R. Burman Rabindra Nath Padaria Sudipta Paul Palanisamy Venkatesh Anindita Datta Pinaki Roy Suchandra Dutta Samrat Sikdar Savita Kumari The models and the aspiring models: assessing the sustainable rural development philosophy and reality in India through multi-dimensional indices Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems Gandhian philosophy self-sustainable villages Model villages rural development in India multidimensional composite indices measurement of rural progressiveness |
| title | The models and the aspiring models: assessing the sustainable rural development philosophy and reality in India through multi-dimensional indices |
| title_full | The models and the aspiring models: assessing the sustainable rural development philosophy and reality in India through multi-dimensional indices |
| title_fullStr | The models and the aspiring models: assessing the sustainable rural development philosophy and reality in India through multi-dimensional indices |
| title_full_unstemmed | The models and the aspiring models: assessing the sustainable rural development philosophy and reality in India through multi-dimensional indices |
| title_short | The models and the aspiring models: assessing the sustainable rural development philosophy and reality in India through multi-dimensional indices |
| title_sort | models and the aspiring models assessing the sustainable rural development philosophy and reality in india through multi dimensional indices |
| topic | Gandhian philosophy self-sustainable villages Model villages rural development in India multidimensional composite indices measurement of rural progressiveness |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1561399/full |
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