Question

Which of the following statements are correct about the Community Development Programme (CDP)?

1. The CDP began in 1952 and was implemented experimentally in select blocks.

2. It was the predecessor to the Panchayati Raj system.

3. The scheme successfully encouraged democratic participation among rural people.
   

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. All of the above

Answer 1

Answer:

A. 1 and 2 only

Community Development Programme (CDP)

• The Community Development Programme (CDP) was launched on October 2, 1952, on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.

• It was initiated as a comprehensive rural development scheme in India, aiming for the all-round development of rural areas.

• The programme was initially implemented on an experimental basis in 55 selected project blocks across the country.

Objectives of CDP:

• To facilitate a balanced and integrated development of rural areas.

• To promote self-help and cooperation among the rural population.

• To improve agricultural practices, health, sanitation, education, and communication in villages.

• To encourage active participation of people in their own development process.

• The CDP served as a predecessor to the Panchayati Raj system in India. Its limitations and failure to generate genuine public participation directly led to the establishment of committees recommending democratic decentralisation.

Reasons for CDP's limited success in democratic participation:

• CDP was largely a government-driven initiative with limited involvement of the local population in planning and implementation.

• It primarily relied on bureaucratic machinery rather than empowering local communities directly.

• The programme failed to evoke the desired level of spontaneous local leadership and participation, as it lacked a proper institutional framework for people's involvement.

Key Committees and their recommendations:

• The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was appointed in 1957 to review the working of the Community Development Programme and the National Extension Service (launched in 1953).

• The committee observed that the CDP did not adequately succeed in evoking popular initiative and participation.

• It strongly recommended the establishment of a scheme of 'democratic decentralisation', which came to be known as Panchayati Raj.

• The committee proposed a three-tier Panchayati Raj system: Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block level, and Zila Parishad at the district level.

• The recommendations of the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee paved the way for the enactment of various state Panchayati Raj Acts and ultimately the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992, which constitutionalised Panchayati Raj Institutions