Leading a Rural Transformation - A Case of Punsari Village

In this case, authors describe a detailed account of Punsari village in western part of India which has transformed itself from an underdeveloped and poor habitat to a "smart village" today. Punsari has attracted lot of positive attention from different corners recently for its excellent achievements as a village and has won recognition for the same. The authors depict an account of a rural transformation under the visionary leadership of the village headman (Sarpanch) during the last one decade. In a country, where villages still face scarcity of various basic facilities, Punsari has won accolades for providing even the most modern facilities to its population. Through effective planning and utilization of central and state government funds, Punsari has achieved outstanding landmarks in healthcare, education, employment and modern facilities. This village now stands as a role model of rural management for the rest of India. The authors have travelled to the village to talk to people and based on those interviews and information available in open sources, this case was developed. The authors have explored the journey of development to analyze the factors contributing to the success. The authors attempt to present the case of Punsari for a management model to follow in numerous underdeveloped villages around the globe, especially in the developing countries. It is also an example of how leadership vision and qualities can bring about radical changes to a populous social unit. It depicts the significance of rural entrepreneurial leadership in the current economic scenario.