RADPFI Guidelines: The Rural Area Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (RADPFI) Guidelines were recently released by Union Minister Shri Giriraj Singh.

Key Highlights:

• The plan has been revised to increase rural prosperity.
• It will serve as the basis for rural transformation and enable effective Land use planning in rural areas.
• The guidelines were prepared by Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
• The guidelines have been prepared to transform rural India and to promote rural prosperity.
• Mr Singh called upon Panchayati Raj Institutions to take the guidelines as a Sankalp Patra for vision India 2047 and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set up by the United Nations and intended to be achieved by the year 2030. 

Focus of the plan:

• This new Guideline (2021) is focused on the following:
• Transforming rural India and ensuring empowerment of rural India and to promote rural prosperity.
• Typology of villages to prepare the spatial development plan which includes population, agro-climatic zones, Hill areas, disaster occurrence, urban-peri-urban areas and villages, Near to NH/SH, and Resilience strategies as suggested by BIS.
• Dealing with different development Land Use standards for different areas with varied characteristics.
• Facilitating the planned spatial development of rural areas.
• Including Village Town Planning Scheme (VPS) through community based on Collaborative Planning.
• Planning for environmental benefit and disaster preparedness.
• Linking to 15th CFC and respective SFCs.
• Improving e – governance in villages through Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI).
• Integrating and Consolidation of GP Development with RURBAN CLUSTERS, Block,District Plan, as per the 73rd and 74th CAA and GPDP.
• Using the SVAMITVA (and other digital tools) for Abadi area (linking to land records).

Significance:

• The revised RADPFI guidelines would serve as the basis for rural transformation and enable effective Land use planning in rural areas.
• The release of RADPFI guidelines would supplement the efforts of the Central Government such as the SVAMITVA Scheme of Ministry of Panchayati Raj and RURBAN Mission of Ministry of Rural Development and facilitate better utilization of Geospatial information.
• It also seeks to reduce the migration of the villagers towards the cities by providing the same facilities and infrastructure, opportunities for livelihood and resources which are available in the urban areas.

How will the plan be implemented?

• The leading institutions in the country will participate in implementing the plan.
• These institutions will be supported by NIC and NRSC.
• Mostly architectural institutions have been selected.
• These institutions will select two rural villages.
• They will then discuss with the respective state governments.

Why is there a need for the plan?

• Although, many spatial development initiatives have been implemented in India especially in urban areas, there has been no comprehensive exercise for rural spatial planning of panchayats and villages.
• The town areas are increasing and the spatial development in gram panchayats is not well planned.
• The census towns are increasing.
• It is essential to link the agro – climatic regions with the Sustainable Development Goals.