Under the Bharat Nirman Programme, which one of the following is not one of the identified core areas targeted for rural infrastructure development?

Introduction / Context:
Bharat Nirman was a time bound programme of the Government of India aimed at strengthening rural infrastructure in key sectors. It identified specific core areas such as irrigation, roads, housing, electrification, drinking water, and rural telephony. Exam questions frequently ask which components formed part of this programme and which did not. This question checks whether you can identify the option that does not belong to the core areas of Bharat Nirman.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The options given are irrigation, rural electrification, rural housing, and computer education in schools.
• We are asked to select the item that is not one of the programme's core infrastructure areas.
• We assume the standard official list of Bharat Nirman components.

Concept / Approach:
Bharat Nirman focused on six main areas of rural infrastructure: irrigation, rural roads, rural housing, rural electrification, rural drinking water supply, and rural telephony. These sectors were chosen to improve basic infrastructure and connectivity in rural regions. Computer education in schools, although important for human resource development, was not listed as a core component of Bharat Nirman. Education initiatives fall under other schemes and programmes in the education sector.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the six components of Bharat Nirman: irrigation, rural roads, rural housing, rural electrification, rural drinking water, and rural telephony.Step 2: Match irrigation with the list. It is clearly one of the core areas aimed at improving agricultural productivity.Step 3: Match rural electrification with the list. Providing electricity to villages is one of the stated goals.Step 4: Match rural housing with the list. The programme aimed to support construction of houses for the rural poor.Step 5: Consider computer education in schools. This is related to education and technology but does not appear among the six key rural infrastructure components.Step 6: Therefore, computer education in schools is not a core area under Bharat Nirman.

Verification / Alternative check:
Policy documents and exam oriented summaries of Bharat Nirman consistently provide the same list of six areas without mentioning school based computer education. When questions have asked about the components of Bharat Nirman in past examinations, the answers always revolve around irrigation, roads, housing, electrification, drinking water, and telephony. Education programmes, including computer education, are usually tied to other schemes such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan or ICT in schools, and not to Bharat Nirman.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Irrigation: Clearly one of the main components aimed at creating additional irrigated area and improving water availability.

Rural Electrification: A core objective of the programme, which sought to provide electricity to uncovered villages and habitations.

Rural Housing: Bharat Nirman included targets for constructing houses for the rural poor, making it an important programme component.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may think that any programme related to rural development or education must be part of Bharat Nirman. This leads to incorrect assumptions when reading options like computer education in schools. The key is to memorise the exact set of six core areas and recognise that Bharat Nirman deals primarily with physical infrastructure rather than sectoral schemes in education or health.

Final Answer:
Computer education in schools is not one of the core areas identified under the Bharat Nirman Programme.