• 44 SOCIAL SCIENTIST them are living below the poverty line in all regions of Haryana.5 An army of agricultural labourers, blacksmiths and carpenters etc is at the bottom of society both economically as well as socially.5 So the agrarian structure of Haryana economy may be stratified broadly into three groups: (i) large and medium farmers; (ii) small and marginal farmers; (iii) agricultural labourers, carpenters and blacksmiths etc. The people belonging to the second and third categories are living in poverty.7 The strategy for the removal of rural poverty will have to be designed keeping in mind the needs and resources of these broad groups. The Strategy of Rural Reconstruction Planners in Haryana did not attack rural poverty directly. They visualised that the growth of the agricultural sector, along with certain area-based and beneficiary-based programmes, would automatically solve the problem of rural poverty. The only institutional change enforced half-heartedly and without involving the masses in its implementation was the land reform.8 The bureaucrats and politicians responsible for the effective implementation of this programme belonged to 'the ^affected stratum' of society. Hence this programme could not make much headway. At the national level, a three-pronged strategy was adopted for agricultural development and rural reconstruction.9 Adopting the v national strategy, Haryana aimed at increasing agricultural productivity by providing adequate irrigation support, including exploitation of sub-soil water, increased use of chemical fertilizers, extension of area under HYV seeds and easy availability of credit to the farmers, Cooperatives, especially in the agricultural sector, were to play an important role. As a consequence of the efforts at increasing productivity, the net area irrigated to percentage area sown increased from 37.7 per cent in 1966-67 to 61.1 per cent in 1979-80. Table I shows that programmes of extensive use of HYV seeds and chemical fertilizers also made good progress. The number of tubcwells and pumpsets increased by 969.4 per cent during 1966-1980, but due to power constraints, this irrigation TABLE ISOME INDICATORS OF TECHNICAL CHANGE IN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR Itefft 1966^67 1974-75 1979-80 Area irrigated as % of area sown (net) Fertilizer consumption in tonnes Fertilizers consumption in kgs. per hectare. Area under HYV in *000 hectares 37.7 13347 3.64 16 50.6 75477 20.2 1449 61,1 215440 64.6* 2112 SOURCE: Draft Five-Year Plans, Haryana NOTE: *Year 1980-81