New development guidelines to transform rural India

Context

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has revised the Rural Area Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (RADPFI) Guidelines, 2017.

About the initiative

• The revised RADPFI guidelines would serve as the basis for rural transformation and enable effective Land use planning in rural areas.
• The release of RADPFI guidelines would supplement the efforts of the Centre such as the 
• SVAMITVA scheme of Ministry of Panchayati Raj 
• RURBAN Mission of Ministry of Rural Development
• It would also facilitate better utilisation of Geospatial information.

What is the need of the initiative?

• Although many spatial development initiatives have been implemented in India especially in urban areas, there has been no comprehensive exercise for rural spatial planning of panchayats/villages. 
• In recent times, there has been large growth in rural areas but this unplanned growth has led to inefficient utilization of geospatial potential in rural areas. 
• Thus, spatial planning specially for the villages located in the vicinity of the urban centers and those, along the major road corridors, becomes necessary, as various permissible and non-permissible land-use activities need to be decided for optimum growth.