The paper aims to analyse (a) the actual coverage of developmental programmes (b) the actual beneficiaries and (c) its impact on the overall rural development. Seven special rural development programmes sponsored by the Government of India in seventies have been selected for the analysis. These are (1) Small Farmer's Development Agencies (2) Drought Prone Areas (3) Command Area Development (4) Tribal Area/Hill Area Development Programme (5) Hill Area Programme (6) Desert Development and (7) Whole Village Development Programme using block level data coverage for each of the 389 districts of India have been calculated for all the seven programmes. Also statewise calculations have been made. The analysis shows that not more than one third of the total area has been coverage by any p0rogramme in any State or Union Territory. The highest area covered by all the seven programmes is about 28 per cent in West Bengal. Further analysis shows that there is a loss of intended benefits of the special development programmes at all levels, beginning from the centre to state and district. Factors responsible for such a loss are identified in the paper. Important among these are lack of understanding of the objectives of the various programmes, lack of efforts to evolve locally suitable programmes, delays, cost escalation and under utilization of the created potential.