Community Development Block in India
Encyclopedia
The Community development block is a rural area earmarked for administration and development in India
. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer. A community development block covers several gram panchayat
s, local administrative unit
at the village level.
, and for improvements in systems of communication, in rural health and hygiene, and in rural
education. The community development programme was rapidly implemented. In 1956, by the end of the first five year plan period, there were 248 blocks, covering around a fifth of the population in the country. By the end the second five year plan period, there were 3,000 blocks covering 70 per cent of the rural population. By 1964, the entire country was covered.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer. A community development block covers several gram panchayat
Gram panchayat
Gram panchayats are local self-governments at the village or small town level in India. As of 2002 there were about 265,000 gram panchayats in India. The gram panchayat is the foundation of the Panchayat System. A gram panchayat can be set up in villages with minimum population of 300...
s, local administrative unit
Local administrative unit
Generally, a local administrative unit is a low level administrative division of a country, ranked below a province, region, or state. Not all countries describe their locally governed areas this way, but it can be descriptively applied anywhere to refer to counties, municipalities, etc.In the...
at the village level.
History
The community development programme was launched on a pilot basis in 1952 to provide for a substantial increase in the country’s agricultural programmeAgricultural science
Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. -Agriculture and agricultural science:The two terms are often confused...
, and for improvements in systems of communication, in rural health and hygiene, and in rural
Rural development
Rural development in general denotes economic development and community development actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-urban neighbourhoods, remote villages and the countryside...
education. The community development programme was rapidly implemented. In 1956, by the end of the first five year plan period, there were 248 blocks, covering around a fifth of the population in the country. By the end the second five year plan period, there were 3,000 blocks covering 70 per cent of the rural population. By 1964, the entire country was covered.