Globalization and the rural society in India .

🔸India is mainly an agrarian economy and about 70%of its population resides in rural areas and villages which contribute around 15% of GDP through its agriculture and allied sector.

🔸 So any integrationof Indian economy will have wider ramifications for both rural areas and its social, political and economic fabric. Rural life in India was characte -rized by self sufficient geographical unit following traditional way of life before the advent of globalization. 

🔸Since the economic reforms of 1991 which led to liberalization, privatization and globalization, there have been implications on rural society which are both pathological and normal. 

🔸It helped in mainstreaming rural society with the urban India and global world to an extent, helped in creating a more informed society and brought paradigm shift in education, devolution of power and technological reach. 

🔸On the other hand, disproportionate economic prosperity in various parts induced pathological stains in the form of widespread migration, coerced land acquisitions, suicides of farmers, ever squeezing agricultural land leading to a disjunction between little tradition and great tradition of India. 

🔸After globalization, Indian economy in general and rural areas in particular was opened up for quickdevelopment, increased income and standard of living. It was contented that the fruits of globalization will automatically trickle down to rural areas leading to better developments indicators. 

🔸However in the long run, it led to a rural-urban divide of India. Most of the MNCs concentrated on leveraging the urban resources as more skilled

manpower was available there. This led to growth in certain pockets leading to backwardness in most areas.

🔸 Further it eroded the demographic base of rural society as more and more people migrated towards towns and cities for better life and income. Further globalization is based upon the principle of laissez faire which led to

indiscriminate exploitation of resources for generation of wealth. 

🔸This led to overuse of village land  

rendering them barren through mining. It also led to eviction of peasants from their land. Other factors like introduction of GMO crops in certain pockets of Maharashtra, cheap import of agricultural products from other countries etc took the toll over rural society. All these factors directly and indirectly led to suicides by farmers. Globalisation has also impacted the tribal society and its cultural identity in a big way. Thetrespassing of multi-national companies in these areas not only led to dissolution of most of tribal communities but also threatened their cultural identities, languages which a constitutional right.

🔸 In addition to that the deforestation, absence of rehabilitation has led the death of their traditional earning and livelihood. However on the positive note, it generated a lot of avenues for rural India. Globalisation led to breakdown of castes barrier to a large extent in the rural society. It led to change in the village social structure. It also rapidly transformed village society from subsistence based to market based. The competition without frontiers provided the choice to farmers to sell their produce anywhere at competitive prices .

🔸This led to increased income. On the economic side, it led to the abolition of intermediaries like zamindars and money lenders and created new institutions like banks that provide formal credit to the farmers at cheaper rates. 

🔸More credit facilities coupled with saving avenues has increased their income and repayment options. Globalization helped in providing the desired technology to agricultural sector and government is contemplating 2nd green revolution in eastern region. Further global best practices on agriculture and organic farming has been accelerated in various rural parts in India. 

🔸The globalization has led to more devolution of power to the villages after 73rd C.A. Act 1992. This not only empowered rural life politically but also helped in creating gender sensitization at the grass root level. It bridged the gap between government and people and they can have say in decision making with regard to various policies in the era of globalization that impact their environment and cultural and social milieu.

 

🔸Cropping up of various non- governmental organization which provide them skills and training for better employment opportunities and mushrooming of small, medium  

industries in the country side increased their income, improved their living standards.The technological transformation has created a better informed society. The media and telecommunication has helped them to increase their knowledge about the day to day issues in different context. 

 🔸 Globalisation provided more representative governance.The newer  

forms of technology like AADHAR cards and other IT enabled services led to last mile connectivity and provided the services at the doorstep making life for easy. Fast means of transport and infrastructure like roads and electricity has definitely improved their developments indicators. 

🔸The globalization has led government to enact various legislations to provide roads, sanitation, drinking water, rural households and other services at affordable cost to the rural people under its socialist policy. The formation of SHGs is the product of globalization which empowered the women and was able to break the patriarchal mindset infesting village life. 

🔸These SHGs are tied to various industries in the towns and cities which created an income base for these women. 

🔸Hence, Globalization has changed the face of rural India. The change has been drastic and positive. Rural economy is the backbone of India and the impact of globalization has catapulted India as one of the global superpowers. However rural India must tread cautiously on the path of globalization as its negative effects can prove to be catastrophic .

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