Enhancing Resource Utilisation for Sustainable Rural Development through Smart Infrastructure Planning: A Case of Lakhtar, Surendranagar

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-685-2_27How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Urban infrastructure; Civic Service delivery; ULG Spending; Physical and financial norms

Abstract

India is a developing country, and all Indians are working together to make it a developed country. Growth of any country is mainly dependent upon the people living in it, and about 69% of the people of India live in rural areas. So, for the development of the country, these rural areas and these populations play a vital role. Many of the villages are still behind the rest of the world; it is because of the unavailability of some basic as well as advanced amenities. These amenities include clean drinking water, a drainage network, sewage disposal, solid waste management, electricity, energy conservation, a transportation system, education and healthcare facilities, & modern technology with good infrastructure. Lack of such facilities makes it difficult for people to live a good quality life; they are unable to connect with the rest of the world, which results in people migrating to urban areas and a lack of employment opportunities. This paper focuses on smart infrastructure planning and resource utilization to promote sustainable rural development and global skill enhancement through Lakhtar—a village in Surendranagar District, Gujarat—as a representative case. To assess the existing situation, infrastructure gaps, and available resources, a mixed methodology was used, like primary & secondary surveys, stakeholder consultations, and GIS-based spatial analysis. Mixed methods, like primary & secondary surveys, stakeholder consultations, and GIS-based spatial analysis, helped to identify gaps in the study area. Findings are lack of interconnectivity, inadequate water supply, sanitation & waste management, renewable energy integration, and skill development opportunities. Hence, the research proposes an integrated smart infrastructure framework focusing on smart & renewable energy installations, improved water and sanitation systems, enhanced connectivity, waste management, and an emphasis on the use of modern technology. The Lakhtar case study illustrates a replicable approach for similar semi-arid regions, suggesting actionable insights for planners to integrate innovation, sustainability, and skill development into rural infrastructure planning. The study also addresses that by adopting technology innovation with community participation, it can transform rural settlements into resilient, self-sufficient ecosystems. The Lakhtar case study provides a smart infrastructure model that can be followed in similar semi-arid regions. It demonstrates how to build local infrastructure while focusing on smart integration, sustainability, and skill development.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Prachi Kshirsagar
AU  - Akansha Upadhyay
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/26
TI  - Enhancing Resource Utilisation for Sustainable Rural Development through Smart Infrastructure Planning: A Case of Lakhtar, Surendranagar
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Infrastructure Development and Sustainability (ICIDS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 484
EP  - 534
SN  - 3005-155X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-685-2_27
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-685-2_27
ID  - Kshirsagar2026
ER  -