A Review – I.
T Applications in Rural Development
1
Gunjan Mathur, 2Nitin Deepak
1
Scholar, Amrapali Institute, Haldwani
2
Amrapali Institute, Haldwani
ABSTRACT
No matter the level of a nation’s socio-economic, political and
technological advancement, the rural sector still plays an
important role in its total economy. In supporting this view
Williams (1978) gave the opinion that without sound rural
development there can be no balanced national economic
development. Rajiv Gandhi introduced India to modern
science and technology, which he considered as the very
essence of development. He said, ‘Science and poverty
cannot co-exist’, and Information technology is a science that
renders data, information or perceived knowledge in any
visual format whatsoever, via any multimedia distribution
mechanism. This paper presents applications of Information
technology and discusses their potential for Rural
Development in India. Another aim is to find out current
situation for backwardness of rural areas and finding out some
suitable solutions.
Keywords:
1. INTRODUCTION
“Development is neither a simple, nor straight forward
linear process. It is a multi-dimensional exercise that
seeks to transform society by addressing the entire
complex of interwoven strands, living impulses, which
are part of an organic whole”. [Haqqani 2003: xi]
Rural development has been defined in various ways by
different authors as follows:
• As a process whereby concerted efforts are
made in order to facilitate significant increases in
rural resource productivity with the central
objective of enhancing rural income and increasing
employment opportunities in rural communities for
rural dwellers to remain in the area.
• The main concern in rural development is to
bring about the modernization of rural society
through a transition from traditional isolation to
integration with the nation. It constitutes a process
of planned change for which the one approach or
the other is adopted for improvement and or
transformation of the lot of the rural populace.
• According to Obinne (1991), it also involves
creating and widening opportunities for individuals
to realise full potential through education and share
in the decision and action which affects their lives.
[1]
2. RURAL DEVELOPMENT
As we are aware, among the developing countries, India
is ranked as one of the fastest growing economies.
India’s GDP growth, as per our Planning Commission,
would cross 10% towards 2025. We are all aware,
while our country is progressing well in the economic
front, the major livelihoods of rural India, the
agriculture, is suffering due to various uncertainties,
and currently shares only 18% of GDP.
As told by Mahatma Gandhi, ‘India lives in its
villages’. Nearly 700 million of our population lives in
600,000 villages. In spite of various efforts to improve
the living standards of rural masses, around half of our
villages still have poor socio-economic conditions.
Rural India is also characterized by low literacy due to
livelihood compulsions. Transforming rural India is
thus a great challenge. [2]
The many efforts of the government for rural
development, as we are aware, include: National Food
Security Mission (NFSM), Rajiv Gandhi Rashtriya
Krishi Vikas Yojana (RGKVY), Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Rural Housing (RH),
Integrated Wasteland Development Programme
(IWDP), Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme
(ARWSP), Total Sanitation Programme (TSP),
National Rural Health Mission (NHRM), etc. Towards
realising the growth potential of rural India, Bharat
Nirman, a business plan for rural India, was conceived
by the government, and is being implemented.
Information technology guides these projects to
increase technological and human advancements day by
day. [7]
3. PRESENT SITUATION
The following points will highlight the existing
situation:
• Most of the technologies being propagated in
rural areas are urban-based and biased. They trickle
down to rural areas.
• Rural population is not composed of
subhuman beings. Their needs and aspirations are
similar to those living in urban areas. Technology
development should take place keeping these
aspirations in view.
• Currently developing technologies focus on
urban area. The needs of rural people are different
and they should be solved concentrating on them.
For Example a Hindi call center is better suitable
for rural citizens than an English one. [3]
 4. I.T. APPLICATIONS FOR RURAL
DEVELOPMENT
Communication Technology
One of the major components and driving force of rural
development is Communication. Conventionally,
communication includes electronic media, human
communication & now information technology (IT).
Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE)
is considered to be one of the biggest techno-social
communication experiments in education and rural
development. SITE provided telecast for rural primary
school children in the age group 5 - 12 years and
teachers’ training. Rural adults view television
programs and improve agricultural practices, health and
family planning.
At the same time, communication convergence,
especially of media and Internet, opened up the
possibility of individualized non-broadcast
communication. Launch of “Kisan Call Centres” and
an exclusive “Farmer Television Channel” are
examples of social marketing approach for rural
development. [6]
E-Learning:
E-learning technologies have great potential to spread
learning however, the benefits of these technologies
have to reach the rural masses of India, and otherwise
they will be one of the causes of the Digital Divide.
Computer based training and video based training have
been very common for several decades in India in the
Software Industry. Technologies to enable e-learning
have tremendous potential for India. Various
technologies have been used over the years to propagate
Distance Learning including the Radio, TV and now the
Internet.
There are several problems which affect Rural India but
amongst them, a major problem is that literacy amongst
farmers and rural folk of India is very low. Emerging
technologies such as Natural Language Interfaces
and the Next Generation Internet will enable several
innovative applications in E-learning and enable
parallel learning by helping to break the cycle of
literacy followed by computer illiteracy.
Natural Language Interfaces:
There is a lot of work going on in this technology in
India - prominent among them being the projects at
CDAC, NCST, and at IIT Madras, Kanpur, and
Bombay. The Ministry of Information Technology is
already involved in several projects such as “Bharat
Bhasha Kosh”, Web based learning system in Indian
languages, Speech Synthesis system at CEERI Pilani
and Multilingual dictionaries. IIT Madras has
developed an Indian Language word processor which
has been tested at an NGO in Madras. Similarly
NCST'S MATRA project’s focus is on man-machine
synergy. [4]
Geographical Information System
Geographic Information Technology has developed at a
remarkable pace over the past two decades and will
play a key role in development of nations in the 21st
Century; hereupon many countries have already
prepared their strategic development plans for
application of GIS Technology with gigantic financing
endeavors.
India maintains a pre-eminent position in the use of
spatial imagery. The capabilities in the development of
high-resolution satellites and extensive network of
associated infrastructure have contributed to the
growing interest in the application of GIS for a variety
of India’s development needs.
The Information Technology policy of Government of
India adopted in 1999 emphasizes the availability of
spatial data to GIS user community and industry,
thereby enabling the widespread development of
Spatial Decision- Support Information System
Network including Web enabled GIS application
services.
Most States in India and several ministries and
departments of the Central and State Governments have
initiated special GIS programs relating to ground water
studies, cadastral mapping, and power transmission and
transportation infrastructure. The integration of socio-
economic data with spatial data is increasing
Functioning areas of GIS include:
• Irrigation
• Hydrology and management of water
resources
• Land utilization
• Generation of Spatial Village Maps [5]
Space Technology
Making a modest beginning in 1963 with the launch of
a small sounding rocket from Thumba (near
Thiruvananthapuram), we have come a long way in
establishing space systems like the Indian National
Satellite (INSAT) and Indian Remote Sensing (IRS)
satellite systems that form a crucial part of our national
infrastructure for telecommunication, television
broadcasting, meteorology, natural resources survey
and management.
Satellite Communication
ISRO had undertaken several projects that focused on
development of humanity through sophisticated
satellite-based communication. Right from the
inception of utilizing space programmes for
development, the experiments like Satellite
Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), Kheda
Communications Project (KCP), Jhabua Development
Communications Project (JDCP), Training and
Development Communication Channel (TDCC) have
been carried out.
Tele-Education
The Tele-education programme launched by ISRO,
serviced by the exclusive satellite ‘EDUSAT’, is
primarily intended for school, college and higher levels
of education to support both curricula based as well as
vocational education. Many important institutions such
as the IGNOU, UGC, IITs, and many State Education
Departments and Universities are making use of the
EDUSAT network. Presently, more than 34,500
classrooms are in the EDUSAT network out of which
3,400 are interactive terminals.
Tele-Medicine
A healthy citizen contributes to make a healthy nation.
Providing healthcare to millions of people in rural India
is really a formidable challenge. Satellite
communication technology, combined with information
technology provides a technological means of taking
the benefits of the advances in medical sciences to
large sections of people spread out in remote and
inaccessible villages. ISRO’s telemedicine network has
enabled many poor rural villagers to get the best of
medical services available in the country. [6]
Disaster Management Support
India is one of the most disaster prone countries in the
world with increasing vulnerability to cyclones, floods,
landslides, droughts and earthquakes. In order to
strengthen India’s resolves towards disaster
management, ISRO has evolved the Disaster
Management Support (DMS) programme, which is a
convergence of space communications and remote
sensing capabilities. Today, INSAT and IRS satellite
systems provide disaster management support for the
preparedness, early warning, risk information, impact
and damage assessment and emergency
communication. [2]
5. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Below are possible solutions or the strategies for
developing rural technologies and how best to
propagate them:
• Rural technology development and
propagation should be a consortium project. The
members of such consortia will include industry,
grassroot NGOs, researchers and workers. With
industry in the picture right from the beginning,
there is a scope for ensuring better sales efforts.
• Till now most of the technologies have been
borrowed from the west. They have been taken up
in urban areas and then filtered down to rural areas.
For example two wheelers (like Honda, Suzuki
etc.) have been designed to run at high speeds and
on good roads. Thus they are light and very
unstable on muddy rural roads. There is therefore a
need to develop technologies specifically for rural
areas. Since the rural conditions are unique, they
also require unique solutions. Similarly IT
Applications should be developed by India for
Indians, e.g. Tally software in Hindi is most
suitable for rural business persons.
• The spread of rural technologies will be
facilitated if they also are employment generators.
Education is the first step for achieving this
purpose. [3]
CONCLUSION
There are several technologies available to help rural
development today. Two such emerging technologies
which have great potential for E-learning in Rural India
are The Next Generation Internet and Natural Language
Interfaces. G.I.S and D.S.S are systems which provide
help in data management in any development process.
Current available technologies are much sufficient to
carry out the development process, if implanted
successfully and on need. So briefly, rural development
must give higher priority to implanting the methods of
information technology than to development of new
technology. In fact, without the former the new
technology will be difficult to deliver. IT can help as a
supporting tool for better service delivery in rural areas,
that can be offered through the use of IT .
REFERENCES
[1] Rural Development and management - Prof E.
E. Umebau - Enugu State University of
Science and Technology, Enugu State
[2] Science and Technology for Rural
Development - Dr. S.S. Kalbag
[3] Development of technologies for rural areas -
need for new thinking
[4] E-Learning Technologies for Rural India -
Nilay M.Yajnik - Narsee Monjee Institute of
Management Studies,Vile Parle (W),Mumbai
[5] GIS Based application for Rural Development
- A Policy Warranted - Dr. Lalan Kumar,
Scientist, CMRI, Barwa Road, Dhanbad,
Jharkhand-826 001, India.
[6] Communication Technology and Rural
Development In India :Promises and
Performances - BINOD C. AGRAWAL,
Ph.D.*
[7] Space Technology Applications for Rural
Development in India - Dr. G. Madhavan Nair.