AUTHOR=Bhattacharyya Sangeeta , Burman R. R. , Padaria Rabindra Nath , Paul Sudipta , Venkatesh Palanisamy , Datta Anindita , Roy Pinaki , Dutta Suchandra , Sikdar Samrat , Kumari Savita 

TITLE=The models and the aspiring models: assessing the sustainable rural development philosophy and reality in India through multi-dimensional indices

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1561399

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2025.1561399

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=IntroductionThe key to sustainable societies and food systems in developing countries like India is sustainable rural development because majority population reside in rural areas. In India, the Gandhian philosophy of rural self sustainability has been a major inspiration in shaping not only individual or philanthropic rural development efforts (philosophical and less planned), but also government rural development programmes (RDPs which are planned reality of the philosophy).MethodsIn this study, the authors assess the progressiveness of ‘Aspiring' self-sustainable villages (planned reality) developed under a governmental rural self-sustainability programme named Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) in comparison with the Model Villages of the Past (based on philosophy with no governmental intervention/philanthropic)as both categories of villages were developed on the basis of Gandhian philosophy of rural self-sustainability but there exists no comprehensive measure for comparing the progress of SAGY Villages (developed on realistic indicator based approach) with the Model Villages of the past (developed solely on philosophical approach) even after a decade of implementation of SAGY. Hence 7 multi-dimensional composite indices were developed in this study for comparative assessment after careful triangulation of indicators. Rural Health Status Index/RHSI (8 indicators), Rural Educational Status Index/RESI (6 indicators), Rural Farming Status Index/RFSI (8 indicators), Rural Infrastructure Index/RIF (40 indicators), Rural Livestock Status Index/RLSI (8 indicators), Rural Ecological Status Index/RECSI (7 indicators) and Status of Rural Women Index/SRWI (6 indicators) were developed using Categorical Principal Components Analysis method. Validation of the indices were done with 1200 respondents (n = 1200) of Model Villages and SAGY Villages of Maharashtra and Telangana states.Results and discussionThe SAGY villages of Telangana were found to have progressed more than the Models of their state in terms of educational (RESI = 0.87), farming (RFSI = 1.06), livestock (RLSI = 1.31) and ecological status (RECSI = 0.56). The aspirant SAGY villages of Maharashtra were found to have excelled their Models in terms of health (RHSI = 1.62), farming (RFSI = 1.5) and livestock status (RLSI = 1.29). Secondary database of District Census Handbook having household level quantitative data of sub-districts were found to be in corroboration with the index values (primary data analysis) obtained. The indices developed have scope of replication in similar rural systems of the world.