Provision of Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA)

The Provision of Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA) is an innovative development strategy initiated by the Government of India to promote holistic and sustainable rural development by bridging the gap between urban and rural infrastructure. Conceived by Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, the PURA model aims to bring physical, electronic, knowledge, and economic connectivity to rural areas, thereby enabling inclusive growth and reversing the trend of rural-to-urban migration.

Background and Concept

India’s rural population, constituting nearly 65–70% of the total population, has historically faced disparities in access to infrastructure, employment, healthcare, and education compared to urban regions. Recognising this imbalance, Dr Kalam proposed the PURA model in the early 2000s as part of his vision for “transforming India into a developed nation by 2020.”
The concept was first detailed in his book “India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium”, where he emphasised the need for creating “rural clusters” equipped with urban-like facilities to empower local communities and promote self-reliance. PURA sought to develop a symbiotic relationship between urban and rural economies, ensuring that development was decentralised and sustainable.

Objectives of PURA

The main objectives of the PURA scheme include:

• Bridging the urban–rural divide by providing essential infrastructure and services in rural areas.
• Enhancing livelihood opportunities through employment generation, skill development, and entrepreneurship.
• Encouraging public–private partnerships (PPP) in rural infrastructure and service delivery.
• Promoting sustainable economic growth by developing rural clusters based on local resources and industries.
• Reducing migration by making rural life economically viable and socially enriching.

By focusing on infrastructure, education, and enterprise, PURA aims to create self-sustaining rural economies integrated with national development frameworks.

Core Components and Types of Connectivity

The PURA model is based on the integration of four key types of connectivity that collectively empower rural communities:

1. Physical Connectivity:
   • Development of roads, transportation networks, water supply systems, sanitation, housing, and power infrastructure.
   • Ensures smooth movement of goods, people, and services between rural and urban centres.
2. Electronic Connectivity:
   • Provision of internet access, mobile communication, and e-governance platforms.
   • Facilitates access to information, digital education, and telemedicine services.
3. Knowledge Connectivity:
   • Establishment of educational and skill development institutions, vocational training centres, and research hubs.
   • Promotes capacity building, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
4. Economic Connectivity:
   • Creation of market linkages, industrial clusters, and micro-enterprise support systems.
   • Encourages investment in agro-processing, handicrafts, and small industries to boost rural employment.

Together, these four pillars form the foundation of the PURA framework, fostering inclusive and multidimensional rural growth.

Implementation and Institutional Framework

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is the nodal agency responsible for implementing the PURA programme. It was officially launched in 2004 as a Central Sector Scheme during the tenure of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, and later restructured in 2010 with a stronger emphasis on Public–Private Partnership (PPP) models.
Under the revised framework, the government identified rural clusters — typically comprising a growth centre (a small town) surrounded by 15–25 villages — to serve as hubs for integrated development. The scheme encouraged private sector participation for infrastructure creation, management, and maintenance, while the government provided viability gap funding and policy support.

Pilot Projects and Implementation Phases

1. First Phase (2004–2007):

• The initial phase included eight pilot projects implemented in various states, including Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam.
• These projects focused on infrastructure development, tele-education, healthcare delivery, and promotion of rural enterprises.
• Outcomes demonstrated improved connectivity and local entrepreneurship but highlighted challenges in financial viability and coordination.

2. Second Phase (2008–2012):

• The restructured PURA scheme launched in 2010 aimed to leverage PPP models more effectively.
• In this phase, eleven pilot projects were initiated across states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Kerala.
• Projects integrated physical and electronic infrastructure with livelihood generation through agriculture-based and service-based enterprises.

3. Later Developments:

• In subsequent years, the PURA framework was integrated with broader rural development missions, such as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Digital India, and Rurban Mission (Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission) launched in 2016, which drew direct inspiration from the PURA concept.

Funding and Public–Private Partnership Model

The PURA scheme operates primarily under a Public–Private Partnership (PPP) approach. The key financial features include:

• Viability Gap Funding (VGF): Up to 35% of project costs are provided by the central government.
• Private Investment: The private partner is responsible for design, construction, financing, and operation of the facilities.
• Revenue Streams: Private partners may recover investments through user charges, service fees, or revenue from project components such as markets or telecom services.
• Government Support: Assistance in land acquisition, regulatory facilitation, and initial capacity building.

This approach ensures sustainable service delivery and encourages innovation in rural infrastructure projects.

Achievements and Impact

The PURA model has achieved considerable progress in demonstrating the feasibility of integrated rural development. Its key contributions include:

• Improved road, electricity, and internet connectivity in pilot clusters.
• Establishment of rural knowledge centres offering computer literacy and vocational training.
• Enhanced employment generation through small-scale industries, agro-based enterprises, and tourism initiatives.
• Promotion of e-governance and e-healthcare facilities in rural regions.
• Increased community participation and empowerment through capacity-building programmes.

Although limited in geographical scope, PURA’s pilot projects created successful templates for replication under later government programmes.

Challenges and Limitations

Despite its conceptual strength, the PURA initiative encountered several implementation challenges:

• Financial constraints and limited participation from private investors in rural projects.
• Lack of coordination between central, state, and local agencies.
• Land acquisition hurdles and infrastructural bottlenecks.
• Low commercial viability in sparsely populated or economically weak areas.
• Inadequate awareness and community involvement in certain clusters.

These challenges highlighted the need for a more institutionalised and flexible model, leading to the evolution of successor schemes such as the Rurban Mission.

Evolution into the Rurban Mission

The conceptual foundation of PURA directly influenced the formulation of the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) in 2016, which sought to develop “rurban clusters”—areas that exhibit both rural and urban characteristics. The new mission carries forward PURA’s vision with stronger administrative mechanisms and convergence of existing schemes to create economically vibrant, sustainable rural regions.