Strategy mooted to rejuvenate ICDP to benefit rural masses

Itanagar, June 05 (UNI) The Integrated Co-operative Development Project(ICDP) introduced in Arunachal Pradesh in 2001 has helped implementation of around 100 schemes against all odds.

The Rs 21-crore project had faced many hurdles and moved at a snail's pace affecting its progress, said National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) Director Dr N K Gandhi and Regional Director S P Dhabarde.

Speaking at a refresher course on ICDP at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI) here yesterday, Dr Gandhi and Mr Dhabarde said, ''The ICDP is a special rural development vehicle of NCDC launched in Nadia district of West Bengal in 1985 for area development through an integrated approach. Its success prompted its expansion to about 400 districts through out the country later.'' Dr Gandhi added ICDP has the potential to boost rural development, but for lack of awareness among the cooperators, education and training for members of board of management and want of right aptitude about their role to involve the people at the grass root level.

''There have been many a training programmes in the past to update the state officers in facilitating ICDP's smooth implementation,'' Mr Dhabarde said.

He informed that the project has been extended and training has been organised considering the vast scope of ICDP to benefit the state.

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