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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT.
Mr. Purushottam Arvind Petare.
Assistant Professor,
Sanjay Ghodawat Institute,
Faculty of Management, Kolhapur.

ABSTRACT
This paper focus on the relationship between information communication technology and
rural development. Further paper explains the government initiative for rural development,
with ICT respect to Maharashtra states IT project for rural development & how information
communication technology has contributed towards reducing poverty in rural areas. The
other aim is to find out the problems & issues of information and communication technology
(ICT) implementation in the development of rural areas in India.
KEYWORDS: - India, information technology, problems & issues, suggestion, rural
development.
INTRODUCTION
The importance of rural development is being realized between the Indian government &
corporate sectors. Now a day Indian economy is exposed to the fluctuations of urban & rural
instability. With respect to face the challenges, Indian rural economy needs to have
preparedness for technological innovation, continuous up gradation of core competencies, so
that India can have competitive edge over other emerging economies. Sustainability of rural
development also has the macroeconomic ramifications. unless rural sector is adequately
developed, imbalance in the urban & rural development processes are removed, and
environment issues are taken up, Indian economy will be constrained by those unattended
aspects & find it difficult to achieve sustainable growth & competency.
Government initiative for Rural Developments in India:Rural development implies both the economic betterment of people as well as greater social
transformation. In order to provide the rural people with better prospects for economic
development, increased participation of people in the rural development programmes,
decentralization of planning, better enforcement of land reforms and greater access to credit
are envisaged. The Department of Rural Development is implementing a number of
programmes in rural areas through the state Governments for poverty reduction, employment
Generation, rural infrastructure habitant development, provision of basic minimum services
etc.
Rural Infrastructure Development

Bharat Nirman
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna
Rural Housing
Rural Water Supply Programme
Central Rural Sanitation Programme
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National Institute of Rural Development (External website that opens in a new

window)
Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) (External website that opens in a new window)

Rural Employment Schemes

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojna
National Food for Work Programme
Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna
National Social Assistance Program (NSAP) (External website that opens in a new
window)

Other Programmes

CAPART (External website that opens in a new window)

Diksha (External website that opens in a new window)
PURA (External website that opens in a new window)

Some Milestone I.T. Projects of Government of Maharashtra:1. Biometric attendance system: the biometric attendance system has been successfully
implemented at mantralaya, Mumbai where in figure prints are used to verify a persons
identity record time in and time out and provide various types of reports for monitoring.
Further, state government GR has been issued mandating all govt. offices with more
than25 employees to compulsorily implement biometric attendance system by March
2011.
2. Maharashtra state wide area network (MSWAN) aims to be the backbone of data, voice
and video communication through the state and act as vehicle for effective
implementation of e- governance across the state. MSWAN has gone live and network is
established between the state head quarters (SHQ), 35 district head quarters (DHQ), 6
divisional headquarters and 305 taluka head quarters.
3. Government of Maharashtra is setting up common service centers (Maha e-Seva Kendra)
Across Maharashtra. These centers are to act as one stop centers to the citizens across the
state in availing government to citizen (G2C) . AND GOVERNMENT TO BUSINESS
(G2B) services at place near their homes. More than 8150 CSCs COMMISONED across
Maharashtra till date.
4. The pilot of e-district project, which aims to ensure online delivery of high volume
services provided by district administration and undertake backend computerization is
shortly going live in 5 districts Latur, Pune, Nagpur, Nanded and Sindhudurg. The pilot
includes 10 services being offered by district collectorates including birth certificate ,
death certificate, age , nationality and domicile certificate
5. Govt. of Maharashtra has implemented the e-tendering project to bring in further
efficiency and transparency in procurement. All departments have compulsorily adopt etendering applications for procurement of goods and services for projects more than
rupees 50 Lacs.
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6. Govt. of Maharashtra is also in the process of digitizing and tagging all the files of
various departments in mantralaya through its document management system (DMS).
This would facilitate easy retrieval of files, storage and also data the same time, clean up
mantralaya through digital archival.
7. Document journey management system (DJMS), launched by directorate of information
technology of mantralaya is an online application for tracking the movement of letters
and files in mantralaya. This system enables tracking and inventory of files easily,
enhancing staff compliance with file movement and boosting productivity.
8. National launch of UIDAI project was done in tembli village if nandurbar district in
Maharashtra on 29th September, 2010 in presence of hon. Prime minister and UPA
chairperson. The unique identification project (UID) target to issue a unique identification
number, linked to demographic and biometric data of all residents. Pilot implementation
has been successfully completed in Mumbai and nandurbar. Dis enrollment across the
state commenced in Jan 2011.
Indian Government has realized the role of the rural development and the contribution of
I.T. in the development of Rural Markets. A large number of projects are introduced in the
rural area with many upcoming projects in pipeline; which are likely to be introduced by
the Government in the short span of time.
Information & Communication Technology:Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is a broad term that covers all
information handling tools. It includes a varied set of goods, applications and services that are
used to produce, store, process, distribute and exchange information. They include:
Traditional ICT: telephone, radio and television. New ICT: Personal Computers, mobile
phones, satellite and wireless technologies, Internet and the World Wide Web; Increasingly,
the demarcations between media or delivery channels are blurring as the world becomes more
networked - interconnected telephone services, standardized computer hardware, and
seamless data transmission services. Today, we are witnessing a new revolution that will
shape the knowledge society of the 21st century: the digital revolution. Driven by the
accelerating convergence between the Internet, broadcast media and ICTs, this revolution
indeed affects all aspects of our life the way we learn, work and communicate with each
other as well as the way governments interact with civil society. New opportunities are
opening up to those who can make effective use of information technologies, but a large
percentage of people are not aware on this digital revolution and opportunities, they dont
have access to those technologies and information which are also not affordable Some feel
that it is a new threat to development. At the same time, the digital revolution risks to exclude
others from reaping its fruits, thus increasing existing inequalities. This gap between those
who have access to ICT and those who lack of it has become known as the digital divide.
Digital Divide is the unequal access to information and communication technologies (ICT)
between the information haves and have-nots. The digital divide reflects, in a large part,
other social and economic divides not only between industrial and developing nations, but
also within countries. The divide exists among developed countries and the less developed
countries as well as within one country among the urban and rural areas, across peoples ages
and levels of education. The divide also exists between those who are literate and illiterate;
those who are normal and those who are disabled. Bridging the digital divide has therefore
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emerged as a key challenge for development and as the only hope for the marginalized part
of the world to benefit from the opportunities offered by the global knowledge economy.
Under the development strategy of developing world ICT is to address among other topics
such as education, knowledge through human development. Poverty reduction and the
enhancement of the quality of life for the people are still on the high-priority list and ICTs
can play a great role in facilitating and accelerating. ICTs play a great role in this strategy,
and in doing so, the issue of digital divide must be considered. To bridge the digital divide
has become a big challenge facing developing countries. ICT is considered as the major
information infrastructure for improving the quality of access and diffusion of information for
the citizens.
Evolution of Poverty Eradication Programs:-Poverty Reduction focus has changed in
different ages as specified bellow; Poverty Reduction Focus in the Agriculture Age Basic
Needs:- Clean Water, Health Care, Food Poverty Reduction Focus in the Industrial Age
Infrastructure Development:- Roads, Electricity, Telecommunication Poverty Reduction
Focus in the Information Age Information and Knowledge:- ICT for Education, ICT for
Enhancement of Agriculture Production and Market, ICT for Improvement of information
access in the rural areas.
Today a large percentage of poor population of the globe lives in the rural areas and ICT
could bring a substantial development if ICT could be used appropriately. It is important to
consider following factors in mainstreaming ICT into rural development and poverty
reduction strategies:

ICT is a powerful tool for sustainable development, empowerment and poverty

reduction.
ICTs are a component of a broader strategy to sustainable development and should
not be seen as a panacea for all development problems.
ICT encompasses a full range of technologies not only the Internet, but also
traditional devices, such as radios or TV, which are the most widely used tools in
developing countries.
The effective use of ICT is not just a question of infrastructure, but also requires an
appropriate institutional and regulatory framework and human capacity.

When mainstreaming ICT into rural development and poverty reduction it is important to aim
at following:

To raise standard of living of people

To ensure the rights of information access through the use of ICT
To learn from the global knowledge and contribute to it
To provide more opportunities to people for education, culture and other values.

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How does ICT enhance and facilitate Development?

In a variety of areas, access to and use of information can contribute to empower people,
reduce poverty and improve lives, notably by:
a)

Providing access to relevant information:

b)

ICT can help improve the economic and social situation of the poor by enabling
people
to obtain relevant information on market prices, weather conditions, medical
assistance, land and political rights as well as welfare or credit schemes
increase their competitiveness and market access
Train themselves via e-learning, thus making them responsible for their own
development.
Giving a voice:-

As a consequence of their poverty, the poor often lack an effective voice in public life and
policy. ICT help:
increase the voice and participation of the poor in the decision-making processes
communities express their cultural identity
People assert their own rights and interests and pressure decision-makers to be more
responsive to their needs.
increase the efficiency, transparency and accountability of governments and
institutions
promote local cultures and cultural diversity through local content
c) Facilitating communication and network building
By facilitating a new level of many-to-many information, ICT offer an interactive and
decentralized platform that enables people to

share knowledge and build networks

promote their interest and rights more efficiently
influence more effectively, rapidly and collectively political decisions that affect their
lives
Communicate more effectively, thus enhancing intercultural understanding.

Information & Communication Technology (ICT) to Rural Areas in India- Problems

and Issues:It is reported that the gap between the people of the city and the rural areas in India is
widening dramatically during the past decades. Though the government launched a number
of development activities such as road, telecommunication, electricity, education, irrigation
facilities, etc. in the rural areas, such development activities have made very marginal
contribution in bridging the urban rural gap.
Most developing countries including India are constantly struggling with issues of poor
economic performance, poor productivity and inefficient governance. Today it believed that
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e-governance (re-engineering government) does and could play a vital role in enhancing the
quality of life of a nation. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the vital
ingredients in re-engineering government. The important message of this is that the
communities have choice and access for information and services. However while there are
many positive aspects to e-governance, it seems that there are some challenges that have to be
faced by the communities, with regard to the obtaining these services.
Poor usage in rural areas: The usage of Internet in the rural area is not popularized among the country people. Non
availability of telephone services:- According to the available information out of the total
number of telephones, which is the most relevant facility in the ICT facilitation, about 45% is
in the Metro region and balance 55% in the other 3 regions. Hence it is necessary to provide
telephone facilities to the rural areas to enable them to use internet and e-mail facilities.
Internet is a stranger to the rural area:In India computer education is mainly conducted in English language. Hence, rural people
with poor English literacy experience difficulties in learning the computer education. Though
the English language is considered as second language in India, the facilities such as qualified
and dedicated teachers provided by the department of education is not to the expectation.
Hence, the knowledge of English among the rural school children are not sufficient to work
with computers properly and to understand the contents of the internet and web sites. If the
government is not able to provide qualified and dedicated English teachers to the rural areas,
problem of non-deliver of knowledge will remain forever. Countries like Sri Lanka,
Malaysia, South Korea and Japan use their own languages for computers, considering the
capability of the children to use the computers from the childhood. However, since English is
the language still used learning computer in India, it has prevented the farmers and children
from accessing the required knowledge.
Non acceptability by rural community:According to a recent survey conducted, it is revealed that there are resistance and unsupportive attitudes towards the development of electronic computer systems in the rural
areas. This is partly attributed to children using Internet for culturally sensitive matter. It was
observed 60% of the rural adults have a negative approach over the introduction of egovernance in to the rural areas. Identified reason for this is the lack of English knowledge to
handle and operate the computers.
Migration of educated generation: Most of the English educated youngsters have been migrated to the city area, as they are able
to get employment in the cities, as a result rural areas are short of resource persons on ICT.
High cost computers: The processes of the computers are very high when compared to the income level of the
people of the rural areas in India. Therefore it cannot be expected to popularize the computers
and Internet usage among rural areas, as they cannot afford to purchase computers and get the
services of e-mail and Internet.
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Relevancy of information: Content of the Internet is still not very relevant to the rural people in India. In Israel, there are
important messages, which are useful to the farmers and other types of rural producers, on the
Internet.
Maintenance and equipment and services:Maintenance of equipment and services is very expensive as they operate outside the rural
areas.
Quality of training institutions:There are complains that ICT training institutions are misleading not only for the students but
also for the parents and the entire country.
Suggestions to Improve ICT in rural Areas in India:*ICT should be harnessed for the benefit of ordinary farmers.
*ICT policy is the most important factor on the introduction of information
communication technology to the rural mass with a view to empower them by
providing all types of information and communication with regard to their day to day
life.
*Awareness building on ICT usage should be conducted to the rural mass through the
institutions like Communication Locale at Post Offices or regional Chambers, School
ICT Centres etc.
*Government has to encourage the software developers to develop packages in local
languages.
*While the dedicated qualified English teachers are appointed to the schools to
enhance the English knowledge, computer literacy has to be given their in the mother
language with English support at least until the students are able to understand and
handle the computers.
*The rural people should be educated as how to use the Web facilities and Internet for
marketing their own products.
*Most of the services provided by the government institutions require filling of forms.
All the ministries/institutions should provide the information, with regard to the
services they provide and the relevant specimen formats and application forms also to
be uploaded in the Internet online.
*Established cyber cafes in rural areas to facilitate the rural people who cannot
purchase computers by themselves. To encourage the private sector to establish cyber
caf to provide ICT services in the rural areas.
*The software venders are suffering from lack of ICT manpower and infrastructure. If
we able to breaks the language barrier, which is familiar to the students, it may help to
build local capacity.
*Arrangements should be in place for the maintenance of computer related services in
schools.
*It is necessary to open dialogue and professional discussions to create awareness on
ICT in the rural areas,
*To support and facilitate to develop local contents for the Internet.
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As the knowledge is path to improve the quality of life, which is poor in the countryside of
India, it is the responsibility of the government to remove the barriers that prevent the flow of
knowledge into the country masses. Policy makers have to consider this seriously with a view
to minimize the gap of economic condition as well as knowledge between the societies of
urban and rural areas.
CONCLUSION
Information and communication technology plays an important role in rural development
through many ways, like improving Economic Growth (enhancing competitiveness and
increased business opportunities),
Improved Delivery of Social Services
(health/education/environmental/microfinance services ) , Greater Transparency (improved
efficiency on government procurement) , Empowerment of the Poor (allowing the poor to
better communicate their concerns ) Opportunities for more knowledge sharing, improved
coordination, transparency and monitoring and all these leads to overall development of
country. Government has to take initiative towards the rural development by implementing
some information technologies because ICT has transformative powers to change societies
and life of rural people in India. It is possible to develop socio-economic factors through the
application of ICT in the rural parts of country. The implementation of ICT in rural India is
possible if we think and see a dream as Every village is a Global Village.
REFERENCES:1. Impact of Information Technology on the Development of Rural Economy of India.
-By.Praveen Sharma.
2. Information and Communication Technology for Rural Farmers Market Access
in Tanzania By. Agnes Godfrey Mwakaje.
3. Innovation challenges, constraints and opportunities for the rural poor By. Nigel Poole with
Chris Penrose Buckley.
4. ICT Use in Rural India: Opportunities and Challenges.-By Subhash Bhatnagar.
5. WEB Resource:Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India.
http://www.india.gov.in/outerwin.php?id=http://rural.nic.in.
National Portal of India-http://india.gov.in
http://maharashtra.gov.in/english/other/Pages/Home.aspx.