India has always been a rural dominated country with 70% of its population living in rural areas. But the roots of selfishness, misuse of power and corruption left behind by the Britishers has led to a socio-economic imbalance in the country. Today although still 70% of the population lives in rural areas, India is mostly dominated by the rich and famous 30% living in urban India. While the glory of materialistic living lures the urban youth to developed countries, it also lures the rural youth and children to urban areas. Result, in the past one decade, 8.8 million farmers have quit farming, sold off their fertile agricultural land to builders for making concrete jungles, and living in urban areas with artificial comfort and luxury. On the other hand, the influential and the powerful are criticizing migration and discussing rural development from the comforts of their air-conditioned offices in urban areas.

Rural welfare schemes like National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) are heavily dependent on Consultants (knowledge resources) from urban areas. These consultants are costly and are rarely available for everyday consultation. A lot of time is thus wasted after them, and a large chunk of the fund goes away in buying their services. All at the cost of Rural Development. 

The problem does not end here. In fact it begins here. While the best of the brains are being drained out through the Navodaya system of education for adopting urban professions, urban youth are being groomed by the best B-schools of the country for rural development. But only 20% of either are adopting the professions they are being groomed for. Children in rural India do not seek education beyond schooling, as they need to eke a living from the age of 18. And those urban youth who are groomed for rural development rarely do so.

An obvious question arises here:

ʻWhy canʼt the best brains in rural areas be groomed for rural development, so that they can earn a livelihood by developing better infrastructure and facilities in rural areas?ʼ

ʻGRAMODAYA - A Rural Awakeningʼ aims to chalk out a new path of development by creating a generation of rural development professionals from the best brains available in rural areas. It believes in taking the right education to the doorstep of the child. Just like urban education equips urban youth for urban development, the concept of Gramodaya revolves around converging all resources (human, technology, business practices, etc) to equip rural youth for rural development.

The features of Gramodaya will be:

1. A residential school in Gurukul pattern in villages of rural India for Std IX - Std XII.
2. Free education for selected children with a blend of practical and theoretical learning using advanced teaching methodologies and practices.
3. Proficiency at Std XI-XII in different areas of rural development ranging from Organic farming, Vermiculture, Poultry, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary services, Pissiculture, Health services, Application of modern technology, Alternative Energy, Tractor repairing, Farm machinery and tools repairing, Watershed, Stop dam building, Rain water harvesting, Sanitation, Water purification, Participatory approaches, Community work, Infrastructure, Micro finance, Cooperatives, etc.
4. The students will get certification from the National Open School / State Open School. e) The pass outs from Gramodaya will have 2 career options:
• They can fan out into the rural areas providing their expertise to Panchayats in a consultancy / outsource mode for implementing welfare schemes and NREGA.
• They can be employed by NGOs and Govt. organizations engaged in rural development or wishing to implement Govt welfare schemes in rural areas.
5. f) Collaboration with Institutes of Rural Development and Social Work, Soil and Agricultural Sciences, Forest management, Micro-finance, Technology and Alternative Energy, etc.

The advantages of Gramodaya will be:

1. It will help converge intellect and knowhow to create a resource pool for rural development.
2. It will help retain the best brains in rural areas for rural development.
3. It will give a wider scope of work and employment to rural youth.
4. It will help NGOs and Govt organizations implement rural development schemes much more efficiently through the human resource base.
5. It will remove dependency of rural development on urban knowledge resources.
6. It will encourage more rural children to continue education in search of excellence through a familiar environment and will help in raising the average education levels in rural areas.
7. It will reduce disparity and frustration among the rural youth because of joblessness and lack of dignity of labor.
8. It will create a platform for encouraging urban youth to contribute towards social development.
9. It will give a big boost, pace and a facelift to rural development. 

With initially one in each District, GRAMODAYA will be run through:

• A Public Private Partnership model.
• Each Gramodaya, financially supported under the Corporate Social Responsibility of a Corporate House (Public / Private sector) and/or a Funding Organization OR A Philanthropic group.
• Assisted by Govt. departments, Institutes, Banks and Small businesses in that district.
• Managed by a group of Social Entrepreneurs selected locally and from B-Schools.
• The Corporate House will coordinate with the District Administration / State for allocation of land for setting up Gramodaya in a District.

Organisation for Awareness of Integrated Social Security [OASiS] (A Social Innovations Laboratory), that has conceived the model and AGRINI Samaj Kalyan Samiti will pilot the first GRAMODAYA in Seoni district. We have collaborated with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Social Entrepreneurship Course) for the same. Once it is developed as a model, AGRINI and OASiS will replicate GRAMODAYA through other NGOs and Social Entrepreneurs in other districts and states across the country.

We request Corporate Houses, Funding organizations and Philanthropic groups to adopt a village cluster and support us for establishing a GRAMODAYA there. Together, let us change the face of our country, by doing what is required to bring socio-economic equality in our country, and reach the MDG goals soon.