Before Independence, the lot of the villages was very miserable, although at least eighty per cent of Indians lived in villages. Mahatma Gandhi and other Indian leaders laid great stress on the necessity for rural uplift and reconstruction.
As time passed, the government and people of India began to take more and more interest in improving the lot off villages. New roads were built. Dispensaries, hospitals, schools and milk collection centers were established. In many villagers, community halls were also set up. Of late, the Panchayat system in the villages has been strengthened.
Villages in certain states like Punjab and Haryana have reached a considerable level of development as compared to their condition in pre-Independence India. In these States, most of the villages are electrified. They are connected with major cities with link roads. They have good arrangement for drinking water, drainage, milk collection, etc.
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They have primary, high and secondary schools, dispensaries, community and Panchayat halls, etc. But the lot of many villages in certain other States, particularly the poor ones, such as Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan, etc. is not quite up to the mark.
In the early decade after Independence, agricultural produce in India was very small. Thanks to the Green Revolution, this condition changed for the better. Now farmers began to get sufficient remuneration for their crops. The installation of tube wells also helped in irrigation and in increasing the produce.
Added to these were better crop-yielding seeds researched by agricultural universities, insecticides, fertilizers, etc. Free electricity and water were also provided to the farmers in some States. Still, there is a dire need for establishing agro-based cottage industries in villagers to enable the villagers, especially farmers, to augment their income and also to keep busy.
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The level of literacy should be raised in villages to rescue the villagers from the evils of drinking, drug-taking, litigation, etc. They should also be told about the importance of small families. Much still needs to be done for the uplift of villages in most of the States in India.