Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission

Subject – Government Schemes

Context – Telangana stood first in the implementation of the Shyama Prasad MukherjiRurban Mission (SPMRM)

Concept –

It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), launched in 2016 by the MInistry of Rural Development (MoRD) to deliver integrated project based infrastructure in the rural areas, which also include development of economic activities and skill development.
A predecessor to SPMRM was the Provision of Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA), announced in 2003.
- PURA was mooted by the former President Dr. Abdul Kalam in January 2003 as a way of empowering and accelerating rural development.
Main objective of the scheme is bridging the rural-urban divide-viz: economic, technological and those related to facilities and services.
Rurban Clusters: There are 2 categories of clusters: Non-Tribal and Tribal.
- They are identified across the country’s rural areas showing increasing signs of urbanization – i.e. increase in population density, high levels of non-farm employment, presence of growing economic activities and other socioeconomic parameters.
- For the purposes of SPMRM, Rurban areas refer to a cluster of 15-20 villages having about 30 to 40 lakh population.
- The clusters will be geographically contiguous Gram Panchayats with a population of about 25000 to 50000 in plain and coastal areas and a population of 5000 to 15000 in desert, hilly or tribal areas.
The State Government identifies the clusters in accordance with the Framework for Implementation prepared by the MoRD.