Rural Society and Development -An Epistemological Reflection; Revealing the Traditional Theoretical Interpretation in Rural Societal Development
Description
According to 2001 Census, 72.22 per cent of Indians live in about 6,38,691 villages. You know that in 1901, 89.2 % of Indians resided in villages and by 1961 this percentage had reduced to 82.03. It shows a declining trend which is bound to continue. There is, however, no doubt that even today a significant proportion of Indians lives in and derives livelihood from villages. Thus, ‘rural society’ assumes a considerable significance in any form of discussion on development. Bureau of the Census of the United States defines a rural community on the basis of the size and the density of population at a particular place. In India, on the other hand, the term ‘rural’ is defined in terms of revenue: the village means the ‘revenue village’. It might be one large village or a cluster of small villages. According to the Census Commission of India, a village is an entity identified by its name and a definite boundary. You may have observed that the Indian villages exhibit a great deal of diversity. Different states in India have different numbers of villages. According to the Census of India – 1991, the largest number of villages (1,12,566) is found in undivided Uttar Pradesh, followed by undivided Madhya Pradesh (71,352), undivided Bihar (67,546), Orissa (46,553), and Maharashtra (39,354). The smallest villages having the smallest populations are in the states of Sikkim (440) and Nagaland (1,112).