The Rural Development division of FICCI, through its various programmes/ Seminars/Workshops endeavors to promote rural enterprises; reach out the disadvantaged sections of society; provide them with avenues of employment, be it self-employment or wage-employment; empower rural women for the development of rural India by bringing women into the mainstream of development and improve infrastructure relating to their life support systems by strengthening the public-private partnership.

The Rural Development division of FICCI, through its various programmes/ Seminars/Workshops endeavors to promote rural enterprises; reach out the disadvantaged sections of society; provide them with avenues of employment, be it self-employment or wage-employment; empower rural women for the development of rural India by bringing women into the mainstream of development and improve infrastructure relating to their life support systems by strengthening the public-private partnership.

This division has organised a series of Workshops/Seminars/Conferences to get a direct feedback from corporates regarding their initiatives in rural areas, various problems and difficulties encountered while undertaking such programmes.

During the year 2004 the FICCI Rural Development division would consitute a Task Force on Rural Development which would concentrate on the following areas:

• Develop public-private partnership for the promotion of Rural Enterprises (highlight 6-7 success stories).
•  Identify priority areas for efficient utilisation of Rs 30,000 crore earmarked for Rural Sector and recommend the areas where it could be diverted.
• Discuss policy issues pertaining to
• Rural Sector Empowerment
• How to reach out the disadvantaged sections of Society.
• How to provide the rural poor with avenues of employment, be it self-employment or wage- employment
• How to empower rural women for the development of rural India by bringing them into the mainstream of development 
   
• Analyze State-wise rural development policies, programmes and dispersal mechanism
•  Evolve convergence of Rural Development policies, issues and activities involving different departments and ministries.
• Showcase success stories of corporates involved in rural development and address various issues that restrict others in undertaking these initiatives.
• Discuss the urban vs rural marketing scope and potential.
• Discuss various strategies, models that have to be developed by the private sector to succeed in rural markets.
• Explore the feasibility/viability of private sector participation in developing rural infrastructure

FICCI brought out a book titled "Business in Service of Rural India". In this publication an attempt has been made to portray some of the success stories of different organisations, which have been actively involved in the empowerment of the rural masses through various social welfare schemes and useful programmes. These models, depict synergies between corporates and the rural economy, inspire other organisations to venture into similar projects leading to rural upliftment and better quality of life.