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Rural Service Centre provides different types of services to their population as well as the population of the surrounding areas. Rural service centres of many developing countries serve the important functions for providing most of commercial public services for the dispersed rural population. Hence they play vital role in the development of Bihar, because approximately 88.70% people of Bihar live in rural areas. We know that, agriculture is the means of livelihood of major portion of the people of Bihar. It is an important economic activity of rural areas playing an important role in socio-economic and cultural upliftment. But, in the modern days the maximum people of rural areas are unable to get maximum profit from their economic activities due to various causes such as- lack of nearest market centre, transport facilities, educational institutions, medical facilities etc. and unawareness from governmental policies. Due to availability of nearest market facilities, the farmers try to cultivate that type of crops from which they can get maximum profit and for maximum profit, the farming shifted from grain crops cultivation to vegetable crops cultivation. Presently the major rural service centres of Jehanabad district are Kako, Tehata, Okari, Modanganj, Hulasganj, Qazisarai etc of which Chhotakimath is also important for providing services.

Many scholars have studied the role of rural service centres, many and contributed extensively and suggested much solution & planning for the rural development to the government. In this context Chang, B.L.(1979); Bromley, R.(1984); Christaller, W.(1933); Katiman, Rostam (1991) have important contribution. B.L. Chang have studied about the role of a small town in Rural-Urban Development in Northern Malaysia, Bromley has studied about the market centres and its impact on an agricultural development, Katiman Rostam have studied about the role of rural service centres in rural development in Malaysia. In India, Swaminathan (1928); Sinha, M.M.P.(1942); Sinha, V.N.P.(1976); Mandal, R.B.(1981); Sudhir Wanmali & Yassir Islam (1995); Jha, V.N.((2006) and many other scholars have also contributed important role in this field. At present, Kumar, Anil (2007); Kumar, Vishwavijay (2010) and Kumar, Vivek (2019) of Patna University, like young scholars have also contributed in this regard. Which have spelt out the role of Rural Service Centres in agricultural development of their surrounding service areas.

The present study is mainly based on primary as well as secondary sources of data. The primary data have been collected from field survey by interviewing the villagers and the secondary data have been obtained from census Report, 2011,  books, research journals and unpublished PhD theses as well as internet. The data have been analysed by suitable statistical methods and represented through tables, maps & diagrams.

Study area: The selected micro level study area of Bihar is Chhotakimath Rural Service Centre of Jehanabad district, situated on the eastern bank of Kararua river (Branch of Falgu river) in Modanganj Block. It has geographical coordinates 25° 18’ 43” N and 85° 08’ 07” E. As per census 2011, total population of Chhotakimath Rural Service Centre is 1363 (Note- The settlement area of Chhotakimath Rural Service Centre is a combined settlement area of Chhotakimath village (Population 1073 people) and adjacent settlement area of a tola of Bahrampur village of Patna district having population 290). IZ is situated approximately 35 KMs. South from Patna Zero mile and approximately 20 Km. North-east from Jehanabad railway station. It is demarcated by Bahrampur village in north, Dewra in south, Shadipur in east and Sultanpur in the west. The villages who get different types of services from Chhotakimath rural service centre are mainly Chhotakimath, Bahrampur,  Bahrampur (Bigha), Olipur, Kisunganj, Shadipur, Dewra, Planipar, Sultanpur and Marhipar.

Rural Service Centre:

Walter Christaller was the primary scholar who propounded the concept of rural service centre approximately 90 years ago. He postulated his ‘Central place theory’ in 1933, in which he tried to explain the distribution and special arrangements of human settlements. Rural service centres are those focal points in rural area, around which rural life revolves, because that focal point provide different types of necessary services (such as- nearest market, trade, transport and communication, educational and medical services, administrative services, financial services, facilities of purchasing agriculture inputs and selling agricultural products) which make the rural life easy.

As per census 2011, the population of Jehanabad district was 1125313 of which 990117 (88%) people were living in rural area and approximately 77.42% of Jehanabad's total workers engaged in agriculture work. Vivek Kumar (2019) in his Research work identified 59 villages as rural service centres in Jehanabad district, Chhotakimath Rural Service Centre was not in that list and so  Chhotakimath is a newly evolved Rural Service Centre, which provide various types of services to their own and the surrounding population, that facilitate the rural life and became helpful for agricultural development motivating the farmers to grow the market based more remunerative vegetable crops instead of traditional grain crops.

Services provided by Chhotakimath Rural Service Centre:

The Rural Service Centres are conceived as a bridge between the urban and rural area to serve as diffusion centre of services. It plays an important role in efficient Services delivery and agricultural development, so that they affect the selection of crops cultivated in the serviced areas.

Table – 1: Services / Facilities available in Chhotakimath Rural Service Centre (Years: 2001, 2011 & 2021)

Name of market based facilities	No. of Units / Shops / Institutions
	Year: 2001	Year: 2011	Year: 2021
General / Kirana Store	4	8	15
Flour and Oil mill	2	2	4
Sweets shop	0	1	2
Fast food stall	0	0	5
Fish / Chicken / Meat shop	0	2	5
Vegetable shop (Permanent)	0	0	2
Vegetable shop (Alternate day)	40	70	95
Stationery shop	1	2	4
Miscellaneous shop	1	2	5
Jewellery shop	0	0	3
Garments shop	0	2	8
Shoes shop	0	0	2
Medical store	1	2	7
Health care centre (Private)	1	2	4
Hardware shop	1	1	3
Warehouse shop	0	0	2
Electric & Electronics shop	0	0	6
Iron / Grill workshop	0	0	3
Sanitary store (Building material shop)	0	1	3
Cycle & Motorcycle workshop	0	1	3
Clay/Mud Pot shop	2	2	4
Tailoring centre	0	1	2
Hair salon (Mens)	0	1	4
Beauty parlour (Women)	0	0	2
Financial institution	0	0	2
Cyber/ Net point / Photo copy & printing centre	0	0	4
Government school	1 (Primary)	1 (Primary)	1 (Primary)
Private school	0	0	1 (Primary)
Auto stand	0	0	1
Gola (Grains collection centre)	0	0	2
Seeds & Pesticides shop	0	0	3
Chemical fertilizer shop	0	1	2
Regular electricity supply	NA	8 Hours	20 Hours
Source: Primary data collected through field work.

The socio-economic functions of rural service centres play vital role in the development of rural areas. At present the following functions / facilities are available in the study area (Chhotakimath Rural Service Centre), which have been increasing with passes of time.

Financial facilities:

Till 2011, there was no any financial centre in the Chhotakimath rural service centre but at present there are two financial centres which provide the financial facilities (Money deposit - money withdrawal from bank account) to the villagers.

Medical facilities:

Before development as service centre, there was only one miscellaneous store in Chhotakimath village for providing normal medical facilities but at present there are three allopathic and one homeopathic health centre and seven medical stores are available in the Chhotakimath Rural Service Centre, which are providing primary medical facilities to the people of Chhotakimath as well as surrounding villages.

Transport and communication facilities:

Before the year 2011, Chhotakimath village was an isolated area not connected by any types of roads (Metalled or Unmetalled), And having not any communication facilities except personal mobile phones, but with the passage of time, transport and communication facilities have developed in the village and at present it has cyber cafe which connects the villagers to the global village. Currently the Chhotakimath rural service centre is surrounded by metalled roads from all sides, which connect the village with SH-100, SH-01 and other important road routes (Patna-Gaya, Masaurhi-Akangar sarai). At the south-west corner of the village (Chhotakimath), there is an auto stand on the river bridge, which provide the regular transport facility to the villagers, that help in the transportation of agriculture inputs from outer markets to the villages and agricultural products from villages to the outer markets, so that now farmers try to cultivate the market based crops.

Diffusion of Medical, Agricultural and other Governmental information:

 Apart from mass media, talks and discussion are also important in diffusion of information. Rural service centre is the lowest unit in the hierarchy of service centres, which plays an important role in the diffusion of information related to medical, agricultural and other concern governmental schemes with an aim to get help in the development of rural area.

Market based facilities:

 In the study area (Chhotakimath village) there was no market based facilities except 3-4 general stores till 2001, but due to efforts and cooperation of people of Chhotakimath and surrounding villages, an alternate day (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) “Sabji-Haat Bazaar “ was started in 2001 and from that time, various types of market based facilities (shops / centres) were setup with passes of time. It can be understood by Table: 1 (Services / Facilities available in the Chhotakimath Rural Service Centre).

Changing Patterns of crops cultivation in the areas of Rural Service Centre:

Traditionally the farmers of the selected study area had tried to cultivate all types of crops by which they could fulfill their own necessity, So that, they had grown various types of crops during different cropping seasons (Kharif, Ravi and Zaid) like- food grains, wheat, paddy, kharif maize, pulses (khesari, masoor and moong), oil seeds (mustard, sun flower, red mustard (Rai/Tori) and tisi/flaxseeds), vegetables (potato, onion, garlic and various types of green vegetables & saag), spices (coriander/dhaniya, chili, turmeric, methi, mangaraila/kalonji and ajwain) fibre crops (Sunn/Sanai) and other crops.

Generally these crops are grown in a combined form of two or more crops (mixed cropping pattern) and according to cropping season rotational cropping pattern was practiced and the proportion of area under various crops was equivalent to their own consumption. That is, they were fully subsistence farmers, but the Table: B (Area under different crops) revealed that, now a days, the agricultural scenario became changed and shifted to maximum profit, So, the cultivating crops and cropping pattern became change under the influence of Rural Service Centre. That is, availability of nearest market for purchasing of agricultural inputs and for selling of agricultural produce, infrastructure development, use of chemical fertilizer, HYV seeds, modern technology and demand in the market. Currently the agricultural activities shifting from subsistence agriculture to profitable agriculture and at present the number of crops grown is decreased to some selected crops (like- paddy, wheat, Zaid maize, masoor, gram, mustard, potato, chili , turmeric and so many green vegetables and saag), And so many crops are not cultivating now (like – Kharif maize, khesari, onion, sun flower, moong, methi, tori/rai, tisi, kalonji, ajwain, sunn/sanai etc.). That is, with the development of Rural Service Centre and rural development, the agricultural activities shifting from traditionally grown less remunerative crops to more remunerative crops, due to availability of nearest market facility to sell the agricultural produce easily and availability of regular electricity supply as a cheap irrigation resource.

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