New Delhi, October 16:

Calling for improving the economics of agriculture to alleviate rural distress on a sustainable basis, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh today urged all those involved with rural development to give their ‘focused attention’ to this task on a ‘priority basis’.

Noting that the ‘next big growth story’ could be rural India, the prime minister, while addressing the annual conference of project directors of district rural development agencies, also pointed to ‘the crisis in agriculture in many parts of our country’.

In this context, he urged them to draw up district agriculture plans, set out clear goals and dovetail all these programmes into a larger goal of improving agriculture incomes. “While improvements in rural infrastructure, employment generation and asset creation through wage employment programm-es; and investments in irrigation are all important, the final goal is to improve the conditio-ns in which agriculture is practised,” Singh said. “Till we focus on the larger goal of improving the economics of ag-riculture itself, we cannot alleviate rural distress on a sustaina-ble basis. As young officers directly involved in work at the grassroots, I request you to focus on this task on a priority basis.”

“Development of rural India needs your focused attention, a task which requires inter-sectoral coordination which you are best placed to do. Draw up a district agriculture plan. Set out clear goals. Dovetail all these programmes into a larger goal of improving agricultural incomes. This is the way forward,” the prime minister urged.

According to him, “a conjuncture of circumstances, including the high growth rate of our economy, holds great potential for rural India. We need relevant policy intervention to sustain this process”.

“Contending this was a national priority”, he added, “We must bridge the developmental gap between urban and rural areas. We need to collectively ensure that rural India participates actively and effectively in the new growth process. In this national endeavour you have a vital and a positive role to play,” the prime minister said.

Focusing on some of the programmes, Manmohan Singh said he was ‘happy to note’ that the one relating to rural employment guarantee has been widely welcomed by the rural public as well as the state governments and that nearly 8.8 million people were working on over 242,000 development wor-ks. “The slow response in some states may be partly on account of low demand but in many States it may also be on account of delays in putting effective administrative arrangements in place. We look upon this programme to create durable assets and strengthen panchayati raj institutions, since at least 50 per cent of works will be routed through panchayats,” Manmohan Singh added.

Noting that the programme also up the opportunity to improve agricultural productivity in dryland areas, the prime minister said, “It is heartening that the dryland states have used the funds available under the programme to the maximum. Improvement of small farms through construction of wells, field bunds, land levelling can increase productive capacity of drylands especially at a time when the production from well-endowed areas has reached a plateau.”

Rural Development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, his deputy Suryakanta Patil and senior officers dealing with rural development in the states and union territories, and in the central government are participating in the conference.