Q. Bring out the constructive programmes of Mahatma Gandhi during Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement.

Model Answer: 

Mahatma Gandhi’s constructive programmes were non-violent socio-economic tools designed to eradicate social evils, build grass-roots resilience, and prepare the masses for self-rule (Swaraj).

Constructive Programmes during Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22)

1. Promotion of Khadi: Popularized the Charkha to foster economic self-reliance and mass mobilization (Tilak Swaraj Fund financed 20 lakh Charkhas).
2. National Education: Established indigenous educational institutions to boycott colonial curricula (Jamia Millia Islamia, Gujarat, and Kashi Vidyapeeths).
3. Communal Harmony: Forged strong Hindu-Muslim unity at the grassroots level by integrating the Khilafat cause with Swaraj.
4. Panchayati Arbitrations: Promoted local arbitration courts (Nyaya Panchayats) to resolve disputes, actively boycotting the British judicial system.
5. Eradication of Untouchability: Mainstreamed social equality into the political struggle (INC formally adopted this resolution in 1920).
6. Anti-Liquor Campaigns: Initiated peaceful picketing of liquor shops to instill moral discipline and improve working-class household economies.

Constructive Programmes during Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34)

1. Harijan Upliftment: Launched intensive anti-untouchability campaigns post-Poona Pact to integrate depressed classes (established Harijan Sevak Sangh, 1932).
2. Temple Entry Movements: Mobilized mass support to secure equal religious access for marginalized communities (Guruvayur Satyagraha, 1931).
3. Women’s Empowerment: Brought women into the public sphere through active participation in salt production and foreign-cloth picketing.
4. Village Industries Revival: Promoted broader rural economic self-sufficiency beyond Khadi (established All India Village Industries Association, 1934).
5. Sanitation and Hygiene: Emphasized self-cleanliness and dismantling caste-based occupational stigmas (manual scavenging performed by Ashram inmates).
6. Educational Reorganization: Laid the rural empowerment groundwork at Sevagram Ashram, eventually culminating in Nai Talim (Wardha Scheme of Basic Education).

These constructive programmes acted as crucial organizational linkages during passive political phases, seamlessly transforming the Congress into a formidable, inclusive mass movement for true Swaraj.