Bring out the constructive programmes of Mahatma Gandhi during Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement. (UPSC 2021)

Mahatma Gandhi’s constructive programmes were the positive, nation-building side of his struggle for swaraj. They aimed to prepare society for self-rule through self-reliance, social reform and mass participation, alongside direct political action.

• During the Non-Cooperation Movement
  • Promotion of khadi and charkha to revive indigenous industry, create self-reliance and challenge imported cloth.
  • National education through Kashi Vidyapith, Gujarat Vidyapith, Bihar Vidyapith and Jamia Millia Islamia, to replace colonial education with value-based learning.
  • Communal harmony by linking Non-Cooperation with Khilafat and stressing Hindu-Muslim unity.
  • Eradication of untouchability as part of the political struggle, not as a separate social issue.
  • Anti-liquor and anti-opium picketing to promote moral discipline and reduce colonial revenue.
  • People’s justice through local arbitration and nyaya panchayats, reducing dependence on colonial courts.
• During the Civil Disobedience Movement
  • Harijan uplift gained greater focus after 1932, with the Harijan Sevak Sangh working for temple entry, education and access to wells.
  • Women’s participation expanded through picketing, salt satyagraha and boycott campaigns, making the movement socially wider.
  • Village industries were strengthened through the All India Village Industries Association to revive rural crafts and employment.
  • Sanitation and hygiene were stressed in ashrams as practical training for civic reform.
  • Nai Talim promoted craft-centred, mother-tongue education linking mind, hand and heart.

Thus, Gandhi’s constructive programmes were not mere add-ons. They built social discipline, economic independence and national unity, making mass movements more enduring and giving swaraj a moral and practical base.