As architect planners, we consider the impact of various parameters for every planning decision. It can be viewed from a micro, meso and macro point-of-view. There are various stakeholders that are involved in each level. Micro level planning, in terms of architecture & design can be associated with a single settlement viz. architectural planning or interior décor of a house. At the meso scale of planning, it can be planning for a neighborhood settlement in the urban or rural context considering the existing demography, infrastructure, projections in future, etc. known as Local Area Plan. Lastly, for macro scale planning, the targeted area will be much larger which would lead to creation of Town Planning Scheme.

All the scales are co-dependent and impact each other hence all the information needs to be gathered, deliberated, followed by phase-wise timely execution. On understanding the different scales of planning, let us know about the aid provided by the government for such projects in Rural Gujarat.

A. Swachh Bharat Mission (G) envisages covering the entire community for saturated outcomes with a view to create Nirmal Gram Panchayats with following priorities –

• Provision of Individual Household latrine (IHHL) of both Below Poverty Line (BPL) Families and Identified APL households within a gram panchayat.
• Gram Panchayat where all habitation have access to water to be taken up. Priority may be given to gram panchayats having functional piped water supply.
• Provision of sanitation facilities in government schools and aaganwadis in government buildings within these GPs.
• Solid and liquid waste management for proposed and exiting Nirmal Grams
• Extensive capacity building of the stake holders like Panchayati Raj Institutional (PRIs) Village water and sanitation committees and field functionaries for sustainable sanitation.
• Appropriate convergence with MGNRegs with unskilled man days and skilled man days.

Link for information on Swachh Bharat Mission – https://ruraldev.gujarat.gov.in/nirmal-bharat-abhiyaan.htm

B. Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana

Plan purpose and objective

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana aims to provide decent housing with basic amenities to the homeless beneficiaries living in the rural areas of the state and to the families living in crude and dilapidated houses
• The construction of housing has to be done by the beneficiaries themselves.
• The scheme is implemented from the year 2016-17.
• Building minimum 25.00 sq. m. It has to be built on land.

Link for information on Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana – https://ruraldev.gujarat.gov.in/indira-awas-yojana.htm

C. National Rurban Mission

The Rurban Mission follows the vision of “Development of a cluster of villages that preserve and nurture the essence of rural community life with focus on equity and inclusiveness without compromising with the facilities perceived to be essentially urban in nature, thus creating a cluster of “Rurban villages”.

Mission Outcomes:

• Bridging the rural-urban divide-viz: economic, technological and those related to facilities and services.
• Stimulating local economic development with emphasis on reduction of poverty and unemployment in rural areas.
• Spreading development in the region.
• Attracting investment in rural areas.

Link for information on National Rurban Mission – https://ruraldev.gujarat.gov.in/national-rurban-mission.htm

The support of the Gujarat government by the means of various schemes & yojanas is still an unknown territory for majority of people that can be benefitted. From providing funds for rural poor for the construction of their houses, improving rural connectivity, management of solid and liquid waste to financing construction of toilets in BPL and select APL families, government has taken up these activities for sustainable and inclusive growth of rural Gujarat.