Ensure participatory rural development

Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque :
For the normal growth of the rural sector stated to be technologically backward the need for motivation for a desirable change is increasingly realized. Village development is in fact a part of national development. So the issue of local governance is conceptually linked with the development of dormant rural resources based on the doctrine of self-development.
Now rural development in Bangladesh is at the crossroad passing through various stages of action research and pilot experimentation. At the beginning of the new millennium rural development in this country has become a daunting problem with numerous challenges and predicaments. This has happened to be the challenges of self-development in the age of globalization.
Self- development at this stage emphasizes the motivation of the people and wider network of community organizations. The first step of rural development through motivation is conducive to changing thinking pattern, outlook and aspirations of the common man.
It is a truism to state that participatory structure of the dynamics of development administration operates at the micro level albeit with local government institutions, promotional agencies and non-governmental organizations. Participatory structure is the essence of decentralized local self-government based on the concept of development administration.
The rural sector in Bangladesh continues to be underdeveloped despite the fact that it feeds its national economy. Until and unless rural economic can be improved to a certain standard any institutional intervention to develop the country will be thwarted. For this reason, any successive regime in Bangladesh stresses the imperatives of development administration and governance at the micro-level for the implementation of participatory rural development programs. For an agro based economy it is imperative that the creation of local institutions will succeed in educating the people about the changes in the social outlook towards modern development projects in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Our local administration needs to be revamped with the components of development administration to facilitate good governance for a desirable rural transformation. Government is decentralizing its power and functions at the local level only to ensure participatory rural development.
To ensure participatory rural development rural people need scope for developing local initiative. Participation as individuals in local or national programs contribute to rural development nut rural people need increasingly to take initiative rather than just wait for the national government to organize programs. So the question of involvement of the people at grass root level into production and development comes in. The government has been taking effective steps to bring all sections of the people the educated, the scientists, the technologists, the students, the political leaders, the illiterates, in other words the people of all community and classes in their respective spheres of production and development process. Thus effective participation of the rural masses is shaping their own destiny is important. Involvement of the people at all the stages of planning implementation and in organizing production and distribution system must form the basis of the rural development strategy. There should be a large scale of mobilization of the masses for participation in the building of rural infrastructure such as roads, canals, irrigation facilities, schools, horticulture, fisheries etc.
The villages in developing countries are still at the very beginning of development. The globalization process is progressing amidst challenges. At times it creates new areas of social conflicts. Conflicts begin to take the form of clash between old and new.
The peasant communities in developing countries deeply engrossed in the struggle for survival are facing rural crises that have tormented their social life and compounded conflict and confrontation. This state of affairs could provide a source of polemics for scholars with divergent ideologies and draw the attention of the think tanks critically look at the impacts of globalization. Needless to mention multiplicity in the approaches to the study of conflicts and politics of rural development has been noticed in the recent works reflecting various strands of thought on societal realities. Socio-economic implications of political transformation in the country lie in its exclusionary effects on ‘a large segment of the population.’ The exclusionary effects globalization on the village community is damaging. The ordinary masses without wealth or patronage resources have little prospect of surviving even in an independent country. The whole gamut of the globalization has the implication of disempowering the poor leaving them at the level of non-participation in public affairs. Policy environment displays an ‘exclusionary relation’ from the system of distribution. The disadvantaged groups are structurally excluded from ownership and access to resources. Legislative measures in line with ongoing policies or new policy options hardly improve state intervention as the bureaucratic machinery determines forward course of action at the implementation stage. There has been a very little alliance between public administration implementing public policies and ordinary masses.
Participation has to be meaningful to smoothe way to self-governance. ‘We need to change our mind-set for an affirmative Bangladesh growing out of a liberation war. The goal to achieve economic emancipation is a far cry. Unfortunately 40 years have passed since independence the toiling masses continue to fight for social justice and democratic rights. Most of them are still living in abject poverty.
Each successive that ruled the country failed to fulfill the expectation of the people. Wanton corruption and abuse of power rather add to economic crisis adversely affecting the disadvantaged groups. The journey to corruption-free society started on a firm footing during the incumbency of army back care taker government. But euphoria started evaporating very soon as the abuse of power by some helmspersons messed up things. We have another problem. Side by side with political divide we have digital divide. This is to be addressed to prevent widening of rural-urban gap.

(Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque, Professor of Public Administration, Chittagong University)