The term "Rural Development" refers to the planned betterment of the villages. Bangladesh is a country of villages. There are about 60,000 villages in this small country. More than 80% of our people live in villages. So the development of the country is largely depends on our villages.
Once, the villages and the villagers of our country were happy and prosperous. We have come to learn from the description of different visitors of the world that our barns were full of paddy; the cow-sheds were full of cattle; the ponds were full of fishes and the houses were full of peace and happiness. In short, the villagers were self-sufficient in almost all respects.
The present condition of the villages is not at all satisfactory. The towns and cities are getting more and more developed with the advancement of modern civilization. It needs no telling that the declining of the village economy is posing a great threat to the overall development of the country. Actually, the thinking of developing cities by neglecting the villages would be an act of just setting the horses before the carriage.
Ours is an agriculture-based rural economy. More than eighty percent of our population directly or indirectly depend on agriculture for there livelihood. To speak more distinctly, rural agriculture is the backbone of our national economy. We must think over the matter how we can develop pastoral life of the country.
The development of our villages cannot be done overnight. Our ways and means is extremely limited. We can take the following steps to better the conditions of the rural life:
1. Farmers should be trained in the scientific method of cultivation.
2. Proper steps should be taken to improve the conditions of the domestic animals.
3. The system of marketing of the agricultural products should be improved.
4. The health and sanitary conditions of the villages should be improved. The transport and communication system of the villagers should be improved.
5. Cottage industries should be revived and developed under government patronage.
6. Government can extend easy loans to the farmers.
7. Steps should be taken to protect and develop village hats and bazaars.
8. The supply of electricity should be extended more and more to the rural areas.
Hopefully, our government is fully aware of the need of the rural development. They are working for the development of the rural education, agriculture, medical care, electrification, family planning, cottage industry, transport, communication, health and sanitation, fish cultivation etc with a view to making the villagers self-sufficient in all respects.
Conclusion: there is no denying the fact that both the rural life and the city life are indispensably integrated with each other and both of them play a simultaneous role in the overall development of Bangladesh. We should all therefore work hand in hand with the government to make the rural development programme a grand success.
