Explain in brief the Target Area programme with suitable examples from India.

Target Area Programme mainly focuses on the development of those areas which are comparatively less developed than the others. An area is generally developed when it has a proper resource base. But there can be areas which are under-developed even after having a proper resource base. The economic development of a region is not only caused due to the resource base it has but also due to some other vital factors like investment and technology. Thus, due to the lack of these factors, it has been seen that several areas of India have remained under-developed. To solve the problem of unbalanced economic and social development among regions, the Planning Commission of India introduced the ‘target area’ and ‘target group’ approaches to regional planning. Some of the programmes which were initiated by the Planning Commission under the target area programme areCommand Area Development Programme, Drought Prone Area Development Programme, Desert Development Programme, Hill Area Development Programme. The Small Farmers Development Agency (SFDA) and Marginal

Farmers Development Agency (MFDA).