With the Modi Government at the Centre, there is a buoyancy seen in the market. The expectation of ‘achche din’ extends beyond urban areas, with the rural hinterlands also expecting positive fallout of the progressive outlook. The growing clout of rural India in purchasing power is not new news. It’s a fact that is well-recognised amongst marketers. For starters, here’s what Harish Manwani, Chairman, Hindustan Unilever said at their AGM in 2012: “By 2025, the Indian rural market is expected to grow more than tenfold.” study by Kinetic in 2012, Moving World India, estimated the size of India’s rural market at nearly Rs 25,162 billion. But we are talking of 70% rural population of the total, 56% of which contributes to overall consumption. During the 2009-10 to 2011-12 period, per capita monthly rural consumption grew by 19% against urban India’s 17% in the same period, according to a report by CRISIL based on data from the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). Much of these numbers are and will be the gradual result of several government schemes for rural development. Dalveer Singh, Leader of Group M’s Dialogue Factory lists some of these schemes: “The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) has led to more income at the grass roots level leading to less migration of the working class. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana has taken care of several dark markets which were earlier difficult to reach.” With a new, pro-development Prime Minister now, we are hoping for even better numbers than Manwani has predicted.

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