For last few years I was just searching for the solution of many problems that I have been seeing since my childhood. But now I got to know there is one solution to many problems that is PURA (Proving Urban Amenities in Rural Areas, a concept started a decade ago by Prof. Indireshan.director of IIT-Madras and Delhi (as said by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in a interview with TOI, published in Dec 29,2011 TOI). This concept has been main theme of the latest book of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam ,”Target 3 billion” co-authored by Srijan Pal Singh. As the book review reveals this book recommends a sustainable and inclusive system to uplift the rural poor through entrepreneurship and community participation. According to Dr. Kalam we have more than 600,000 villages and huge rural population but there is large migration to cities due to lack or shortage of many facilities in rural areas like power, education etc. He says solution of the poverty lies in capacity building of rural entrepreneurs by providing three connectivity –physical, like roads and trains, electronic like telephone and internet and knowledge. The rural people should be able to identify their core competence and then work on building their capacity. He emphasized on sustainable development plans with focus on employment generation. The book gives an equation as: benefits = income + societal change +environmental impact. 

Thus the new resolution of filling gap in rural and urban areas can be achieved only by focusing on PURA ( which will empower rural people by three major connectivity and capacity building ,which will generate employment and eventually it will lead to sustainable development ).

Neeta Jain