Mr. Manik Dive will present his defense as per the details below:
Date: August 7, 2024
Time: 2.30 p.m.
Venue: Conference Room No 1, CTARA Office, 2nd Floor Old CSE Building
Meeting link for online: Google meet
Google Meet joining info https://meet.google.com/bof-sapx-nqk Time zone: Asia/Kolkata
Title: Identifying Villages in Transition in Maharashtra for Development Planning
Supervisor: Prof. Anand B. Rao
Co-supervisor: Prof. Bakul Rao
Internal Examiner: Prof. Pradip Kalbar
External Examiner: Prof. Ajay Kalamdhad (IIT Guwahati)
Chairman: Prof. Yogendra Shastri
Abstract:
In the context of global urban and rural classifications in settlements, categorising areas into urban and rural areas depends on factors such as population density, access to public services, and infrastructure. In Southeast Asia, urban areas are determined by population size and municipal area status, while rural areas cover the rest of the geographic areas. In India, the Census determines area characteristics based on administrative status and population criteria, classifying transition areas as census towns (CTs) if they exhibit urban characteristics while maintaining rural governance. In Maharashtra (India), transitional areas are explicitly classified as Nagar-panchayats, recognising them as urban administrative units. The intricate nature of rural transitions, characterised by the interplay between traditional farming and new industrial initiatives, presents administrations with challenges in adjusting to urban influences, requiring strategic responses to navigate this complexity. A case study of Manchar village (Dist. Pune, Maharashtra, India), classified as 'urban' in 2001, exemplifies significant development driven by industrial and agricultural activities, though accompanied by environmental degradation and governance challenges. The Gram Panchayat (GP) struggles with administrative tasks, a lack of technical expertise, and insufficient resources. Transitioning villages offer opportunities to enhance public services and support communities, but limited funding and skilled personnel hinder progress. The study emphasises the need for further research to identify transition characteristics and develop a composite index to represent transition status effectively. The composite index termed an urbanising index (UI), developed using the demographic-natural-assets indicators framework and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) effectively ranks villages based on their transition to urban nature, aiding resource allocation and policy formulation. The study explains that the moderate correlation between the UI and economic activities highlights the significant influence of workforce dynamics on urbanisation trends, demonstrating the direct impact of labour trends on the transition. UI estimation assists in identifying villages suited for development programs, mitigating resource allocation imbalances.