PURA : A VISION & ITS IMPLEMENTATION (PHASE I)

Abstract

Agriculture is the principal occupation of the rural people of our country and about majority of rural population earns
their livelihood on the basis of agriculture and agriculture related activities. Agriculture sector is facing very tough
condition and farmers, the backbone of our economy are crumbling under cost escalation & inflationary pressures. It is
now overcrowded and the problem of disguised unemployment has become very acute in this sector. Climate condition
are also not very consistent and conducive for agriculture sector that is why policymakers has shifted their focus towards
other mead of livelihood rather that agriculture which requires better connectivity & infrastructure facilities in rural
areas. Some rural areas with industrial development or high agricultural production offer better prospects for jobs or selfemployment.
This new doctrine has been conceptualised as Providing Urban facilities in Rural Areas (PURA) consisting of four
connectivities; physical, electronic, knowledge and there by leading to economic connectivity to enhance the prosperity of
clusters of villages in the rural areas. The economic connectivity will generate a market and the production
establishments for servicing the market. The PURA has all the dimensions to become a business enterprise, which has
global dimensions but operating in every nook and corner of our country. The PURA entrepreneur has to have the skills
for evolving a business plan with banks and also create infrastructural support such as educational institutions, health
centres and small scale industries, transportation services, tele-education, tele-medicine, e-governance services in the
region integrating with the governmental rural development schemes such as road, communication and transport and
also with national and global markets to sell the products and services.