Research Scholar, Department of Public Administration, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, Haryana, India, Email id: gurmeetsheokand17@gmail.com
The Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) represents a strategic initiative by the Indian government to bridge the rural-urban divide by fostering infrastructure development, economic diversification, and social inclusion in rural areas. This study critically evaluates the operationalization of the SPMRM. It analyzed respondents’ perceptions regarding the SPMRS’s effectiveness and identified key factors influencing its success. The study revealed positive outcomes of the SPMRM in terms of infrastructural development, social inclusion, and improvement in rural livelihoods. The study found more mixed responses concerning economic diversification, generating employment, and reducing migration pressure. The study also revealed the role of effective governance, stakeholder collaboration, and resource management in determining the success of the SPMRM. Effective governance and stakeholder collaboration were generally rated positively; resource management remained a critical area for improvement, particularly in terms of rural development.
SPMRM, Infrastructure Development, Economic diversification, Rural development, Resource management, Rural livelihoods, Migration pressures
