In Indian rural development schemes, the abbreviation IRDP stands for which of the following full forms?

Introduction / Context:
Many government schemes are better known by their abbreviations than by their full names, and examination questions often test this basic awareness. IRDP was one of the major anti poverty and rural upliftment programmes in India. Knowing its full form helps candidates connect it with its objectives and with other rural development initiatives that appear in general studies and banking exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- The abbreviation given is IRDP. - The context is rural development in India. - Four possible expansions are provided in the options. - Only one option correctly expands IRDP.

Concept / Approach:
IRDP was a centrally sponsored programme launched in India to provide self employment opportunities to the rural poor through asset creation and access to credit. The word Integrated is important because the programme aimed to coordinate multiple components such as credit, subsidy, training and infrastructure. Therefore the correct expansion should include Integrated, Rural and Development, and it should clearly indicate that it is a programme rather than a vague policy phrase.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Break down the abbreviation IRDP into possible words for each letter. 2. I most commonly stands for Integrated in the context of government development schemes, as seen in many other programmes. 3. R clearly refers to Rural, as the scheme is targeted at rural areas. 4. D stands for Development, which matches the purpose of improving rural livelihoods. 5. P naturally stands for Programme, because IRDP was officially launched as a programme, not as a policy slogan. 6. Among the options, Integrated Rural Development Programme is the only one that exactly matches this pattern and the historical name of the scheme.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard Indian economy textbooks, government documents and competitive exam guides refer to IRDP as the Integrated Rural Development Programme. It operated through District Rural Development Agencies and was later merged into the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana and then into other poverty alleviation schemes. This consistent use of the same full form across sources confirms that Integrated Rural Development Programme is correct and leaves no doubt about the expansion.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
International Rural Development Programme suggests an international level scheme, whereas IRDP was specifically an Indian national programme. Indian Rural Development policy is not the official name of any flagship scheme and uses the word policy instead of programme, so it does not match the recognised expansion. None of these is incorrect because a correct expansion is already present among the options. Hence these three alternatives do not match the historical and official name of IRDP.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent error is to loosely remember the phrase Rural Development Programme and then guess one of the options without paying attention to the word Integrated. Another mistake is to pick a generic sounding phrase like Indian Rural Development policy, assuming that policy and programme can be interchanged. In exams, small words like Integrated or National often make the difference between a right and wrong answer. Therefore, candidates should memorise the exact full forms of important schemes such as IRDP, along with their key objectives and target groups.

Final Answer:
In the context of Indian rural upliftment schemes, IRDP stands for Integrated Rural Development Programme.