Rural Management Management - Rural Rural Society and and Polity Society Rural Management Rural Society and Polity First Edition Government of India MHRD Ministry of Human Resource Development Editorial Board Dr W G Prasanna Kumar Dr K N Rekha First Edition: 2020 ISBN: 978-93-89431-26-1 Price: ₹ 750/- All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher. Disclaimer The editor or publishers do not assume responsibility for the statements/opinions expressed by the authors in this book. © Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education (MGNCRE) Department of Higher Education Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India 5-10-174, Shakkar Bhavan, Ground Floor, Fateh Maidan Road, Hyderabad - 500 004 Telangana State. Tel: 040-23422112, 23212120, Fax: 040-23212114 E-mail : [email protected] Website : www.mgncre.org Published by: Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education (MGNCRE), Hyderabad About the Book Indian rural society is at a crossroad. The process of modernization that had gained momentum after independence from colonial rule has been galvanized further with the currents of globalization. The government has been implementing various development schemes to change the rural society in terms of creating economic opportunities, and providing health and educational facilities etc. For a changing environment, a new approach is needed for understanding the change and then taking appropriate steps to steer it in the desired direction. This book on Rural Society and Polity is designed to provide a foundation for understanding the rural society from the frameworks of sociology. For students of Rural Management, it is crucial to grasp the basic social structure and processes of Indian society in the countryside. For a country like India, which is so diverse in different aspects, it is difficult to provide a singular framework to understand the rural society. In fact, we need to imagine rural societies than just a singular rural society. Therefore, in this book different framework and approaches has been brought in to present different perspective to understand social realities. An attempt has been made to capture the regional, religious, cultural and other diversities that we come across in rural India. An emphasis has been given to understand the society from the perspective of the subaltern that is the groups of people who are marginalized historically for various reasons. The pedagogical approach in this book is not only to familiarize the students with different perspectives, but also to encourage them to learn from outside the limits of the text from multiple sources. Watching films and documentaries for gaining a perspective has been integrated in this textbook. Moreover, an emphasis has been placed to learn through critical reflection on our everyday lives, and by observing the society around us. The students are urged to look beyond their own social location and think of people living in different social settings. This would help them to sideline their own biases or judgments, and get a more nuanced understanding of the social situation under consideration. Judging other from our own location may lead to misjudgment or wrong diagnosis, and therefore, would not be helpful to find right solutions. Rural India is beset with myriad set of problems, but there is also a lot of possibilities provided resources are managed properly through adequate policy initiatives. The book attempts to focus on explaining the social problems within the society, and also engages in critical appreciation of various policies. We hope, this will help the students grow up as critically aware and better-informed professionals. I thank the contributors: Dr. Byasa Moharana, Assistant Professor Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Ms Aishwarya Bhuta, Independent Scholar, Mumbai and Dr Jyotirmayee Tudu, Assistant Professor Public Administration in Utkal University to this book for their outstanding insights. Also, I would like to thank MGNCRE Team members for extending their extreme support in completing this text book. Dr W G Prasanna Kumar Chairman MGNCRE 103- Rural Society and Polity i MGNCRE Contents Chapter1 Rural Society in India: Themes and Perspectives 1-34 1.1 India and its Villages: Historical and Conceptual Understanding 1.2 Characteristics of Village Society 1.3 Imagining ‘Indian Village’: Various Perspectives 1.4 Village Social Institutions-I (Family, Marriage and Kinship) 1.5 Village Social Institutions-II (Economy, Polity and Religion) Chapter2 Rural Society in India: Understanding Social Structure and Stratification 35-76 2.1 Caste 2.2 Adivasis/Indigenous People 2.3 Class 2.4 Gender 2.5 Intersectionality of Life in Rural India Chapter 3 Panchayati Raj Governance in Rural India 77-114 3.1 The Meaning of and Rationale for Panchayati Raj 3.2 Evolution of Panchayati Raj in India: Pre and Post-Independence Periods 3.3 The 73rd Constitutional Amendment and Panchayati Raj Institutions in India 3.4 Structure and Function of Panchayati Raj Institutions 3.5 Success Stories and Challenges for Panchayati Raj Institutions in India Chapter 4 Fundamentals of Rural Demography and Economics 115-154 4.1 Rural Population 4.2 Rural Economy 4.3 Rural Labour Force and Female Labour Force Participation 4.4 Rural Poverty 4.5 Migration Chapter 5 Rural Social Transformation in Contemporary Times 155-199 5.1 Agrarian Crisis in Rural India 5.2 Crisis in Education and Health 5.3 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 5.4 Rural Aspiration and Consumerism 5.5 Rural Transformation and its Challenges 103- Rural Society and Polity ii MGNCRE List of Tables 1.1 A few Basic Statistical Information on Rural India. 4 1.2 Differences between Rural Society and Urban Society 7 1.3 Domestic Violence in Indian Society across Religious Categories 17 2.1 Correspondence between Traditional Varna Division and the 38 Contemporary Official Caste Category 2.2 Population of Castes in India, 1981 39 2.3 Percentage Distribution of Expenditure Classes by Social Identity, 49 Informal Work Status and Education, 2004-2005 2.4 Information on the Community of Displaced Persons (DP) or Project 51 Affected Persons (PAP) from Some Selected States 2.5 Some Examples of Feminine and Masculine Characteristics 60 2.6 Sex-ratio of India (selected information) 67 3.1 Difference between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat 93 3.2 Functions Entrusted to PRIs under the 11th Schedule (Article243G) 96 3.3 Notified Fifth Schedule Areas (FSA) 98 3.4 Consolidated Data on No. of PRIs & Elected Representatives (esp. 100 Women) in India 3.5 State/UT-wise Number & Percentage of Women Representatives 101 3.6 Year-wise Allocation and Release of the 13th Finance Commission (TFC) 104 grants to Rural Local Bodies during 2010-11 to 2014-15. (Rs. in crore) 3.7 Year-wise Allocation and Releases under the 14th Finance Commission 104 (FFC) grants to Rural Local Bodies (2015-16 to 2019-20) (Rs. in crore) 3.8 PRIs’ Applications & Govt’s Award under PSP and DDUPSP Schemes 106 3.9 Devolution Study 2015-16 Ranking of States in the Component and 107 Aggregate Indices 4.1 Crude Birth Rate in India, 2016 118 4.2 Infant Mortality Rates by Sex and Residence, India, 2016 119 4.3 Child Sex Ratio and Sex Ratio at Birth, 2011 121 4.4 Literacy Rate - Top and Bottom States/UTs, 2011 122 4.5 Classes of Villages and their Population in 2001 and 2011 124 4.6 Proportion of Different Categories of Workers in 2001 and 2011 (in %) 128 4.7 Share of Rural Areas in Total NDP and Employment across Different 129 Sectors (in %) 4.8 Key Labour Market Indicators in 2017-18 (in %) 135 4.9 Share of Rural Female Workforce by Sector and Activity Status (in %) 137 4.10 India LFPR from 2011-12 to 2017-18 138 4.11 National Poverty Estimates in % (1993-94 to 2011-12) 143 4.12 Poverty by Social Groups (1983-84 to 2009-10) 144 103- Rural Society and Polity iii MGNCRE 4.13 Rate of Internal Migration in India (1993-94 and 2007-08) 149 5.1 Rate of Suicides among the Farmers and a Comparison with the General 162 Population in Various Groups of States, 2001 and 2011 5.2 Farmers Suicide: Maharashtra and Other States in Group-I 163 5.3 Malnutrition among Children aged 0-4 in India (2013-18) 171 5.4 Malnutrition among Women in India (2016) 172 List of Figures 1.1 Types of Villages in India 4 1.2 Characteristics of Urban/Rural Society 6 1.3 Differences between Rural and Urban Society 7 1.4 Rural-urban Continuum 9 1.5 Various Perspectives on Studying Indian Village 10 1.6 Famous Sociologist/Anthropologist who studied Indian villages 12 extensively through field-work method. They also mostly adopt functionalist approach in their study 1.7 Anthropologists who Studied Indian Villages from a Conflict Perspective 13 1.8 Functions of Family 16 1.9 Dowry Death Rates in India 18 1.10 Different Categories of Marriage Practices in Rural India 19 1.11 Increase in Agricultural Productivity after Green Revolution (In Million 24 Tonnes) 1.12 Impact of Green Revolution 24 1.13 Milk Production in India (in million tonnes) 25 1.14 Dr. Verghese Kurien and the “Amul Girl” 26 1.15 Max Weber’s Scheme on Types of Legitimate Authority 27 1.16 Religion Wise Population in India 30 1.17 Positive and Negative Functions of Religion 32 2.1 Caste-model in Hindu Society According to the Religious Texts (Book- 38 view) 2.2 Characteristics of Caste 40 2.3 Functions of Caste 41 2.4 Dysfunctions of Caste 43 2.5 Some of the Components of Sanskritization 45 2.6 Map of Tribes in India 46 2.7 Indian Postal Stamps in Honour of