APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India, had a clear vision for improving life in his country’s nearly 700,000 villages. By developing a holistic plan to connect rural areas physically, electronically, and through knowledge sharing, Kalam intended to stem the flow of rural to urban migration. His vision, “PURA” (Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas), was adopted by the Indian government, and was operationalized throughout the early to mid-2000s.

A research team from the University of Toronto’s REACH Project recently travelled to India to assess whether Kalam’s vision was realized on the ground. This talk will explore the various ways that services are delivered to rural populations in India under PURA, whether through public funding, through purely private efforts, as well as through public-private-partnerships. Each of these models has inherent value, as well as notable challenges in implementation. Drawing on PURA’s successes and failures, this talk will also highlight some of the apparently key ingredients for sustainable rural development projects—both in India and, potentially, abroad.