Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026 · Facts as of 4 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
1. Rural development — the machinery
- The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department runs rural programmes through the Zilla, Taluk and Gram Panchayats.
- Key programmes:
| Programme | What it does |
|---|---|
| MGNREGA | Up to 100 days of unskilled wage work a year per rural household; builds tanks, farm ponds, roads, plantations |
| Sanjeevini (Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Promotion Society — NRLM) | Women's self-help groups, their federations and livelihoods |
| PMAY-G and state housing schemes | Rural houses (through the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation) |
| PMGSY and state road programmes | All-weather rural roads |
| Jal Jeevan Mission | Piped drinking water to every rural household |
| Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) | Toilets, solid and liquid waste management in villages |
- KRIDL — Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (formerly the Karnataka Land Army Corporation) executes rural roads, buildings and other civil works for government departments — one of the recruiters in KEA's JE notification.
2. The co-operative movement
Beginnings
- India's first co-operative credit society was started in 1905 at Kanaginahal (today in Gadag district) by Siddanagouda Sannaramanagouda Patil, soon after the Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1904.
Laws
| Law | Covers |
|---|---|
| Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act, 1959 | Most co-operatives in the state |
| Karnataka Souharda Sahakari Act, 1997 | Self-reliant ("souharda") co-operatives with less state control |
| Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002 (central) | Societies working in more than one state |
Co-operative credit structure (short-term)
| Level | Institution |
|---|---|
| State | Karnataka State Co-operative Apex Bank |
| District | District Central Co-operative (DCC) Banks |
| Village | Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) — give short-term crop loans |
- Long-term credit came through the land development (PCARD) banks.
Major co-operative federations
- Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) — the Nandini brand of milk and dairy products; milk unions in each region and village dairy societies.
- Co-operative sugar factories, marketing societies, weavers' societies, fishery co-operatives.
- Yashaswini — a health scheme for members of rural co-operatives (2003).
Revision SummaryQuick recap
- RDPR Department + three-tier panchayats run rural programmes; NRLM = Sanjeevini.
- KRIDL (ex-Land Army) — rural civil works.
- First co-op credit society in India — Kanaginahal, 1905 (Gadag).
- KCS Act 1959; Souharda Act 1997; PACS → DCC Bank → Apex Bank.
- KMF – Nandini.