Youth Participation in Rural Development in the Jabalpur District of Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

This study elicits and understands rural youth’s participation in different rural development activities that are being conducted in the Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Data was collected by using a pre-tested and structured schedule. The demographic composition of youth revealed that majority of them were educated up to higher secondary school, belonged to Other Backward Class (OBC) and had a nuclear family. Majority of them were unmarried and opted farming as their major occupation, had low level of annual income, medium level of use of source of information, achievement motivation, social participation, extension contact and had moderately favorable attitude towards rural development activities.  Results revealed that majority (50.00%) of the youth had a medium level of participation in rural development activities. Through NYKS many activities were listed out which were undertaken in respect to rural development. Based on the responses activities were arranged in sequence using the Garett ranking technique to identify and rank which of the following activity is performed regularly and at high extent and vice-versa by the youths. Activities like sanitising village surroundings (Garett score= 65.36), agricultural activities (Garett score=62.51) and plantation (Garett score=61.88) were found to be the major activities performed by the youths.