What is the Full Form of IRDP?

The full form of IRDP is Integrated Rural Development Program. It is a nationwide rural development programme of the central government of India. This initiative was launched in 1978 and implemented on the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1980. The primary objective of this plan is to increase employment in rural areas to eradicate poverty. This scheme is funded by both central and state governments. With this scheme, the Indian government aims to improve the living conditions of rural people. 

The government of India transfers subsidies and credit under IRDP through nationalised banks like the State Bank of India (SBI), Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), and Commercial Banks.

Features of IRDP

Here are some of the important features of the Integrated Rural Development Program:

• State governments and the central government jointly finance this scheme on a 50:50 basis.
• Beneficiaries are selected on the basis of the percentage of low-income households in India.
• This scheme is incorporated through the District Rural Development Agencies (DRDA).
• The blocks have the responsibility of supervising the implementation of IRDP at the ground level.
• IRDP is controlled by state government-level planning committees. 

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Objectives of IRDP

The objectives of the Integrated Rural Development Program are as follows:

• Ameliorating living conditions of the rural population of India by creating permanent job opportunities for them.
• Increasing production in the agricultural sector and small-scale rural industries to help the rural sector grow.

Beneficiaries of IRDP:

Here are some of the prominent beneficiaries of IRDP:

• Rural Artisans
• Marginal Farmers
• Scheduled Tribes
• Agricultural Labourers
• Labourers of rural and urban areas
• Members of Scheduled Castes
• Economically Weaker Sections with yearly income less than INR 11,000.

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