Govt mulls new programme to bolster rural industrial landscape
The Rural Prosperity and Rural Resilience (RPRP) program will help unlock rural productivity, promote greater corporate presence in the hinterlands and promote sustainable economic growth, Rural Development Minister Rohit Kansal said at the Confederation of Indian Industry event held in the national capital.
Kansal highlighted that the RPRP represents a shift from fragmented livelihood interventions to integrated local economic transformation for rural India.
It aims to build rural economies by connecting livelihoods, institutional development, skills, digital systems, financial inclusion and local value chains.
Currently, the rural development department is implementing programs including programs for rural employment, housing, roads, livelihood, skills and self-help groups.
The government has allocated a total budget of Rs 1.94 lakh crore for various rural schemes for the current fiscal, as opposed to the revised estimate of Rs 1.87 lakh crore in FY26.
“At its core, RPRP recognizes that rural prosperity cannot be built through philanthropy, CSR (corporate social responsibility), welfare or even integrated support,” Kansal said. “It needs to emerge from community institutions linked to markets, technologies, finance and local production.” This, he said, emphasizes the development of producer collective and women-led initiatives, empowerment of community resource persons and a catalytic approach towards a local economic transformation.
Kansal said that the planned program reflects the direction in which rural development is developing in many aspects, from the development and delivery of programs to the creation of ecosystems.
The Hinterlands are no longer just a center of intervention, but also a center of opportunity. Kansal said rural India offers three strong entry points: as a supply base, a consumption market and an innovation platform.
“The future of resilient supply chains, inclusive growth and sustainable demand will increasingly depend on how effectively we can integrate our rural economy into mainstream economic systems,” he said.
