ICT and rural development: The case of village knowledge centres in Pondicherry India

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the key enabler and a vital component of the new knowledge based economy and information revolution. It is a major factor in economic growth and increasing productivity. India is increasingly integrating ICT into its national development plans and adopting strategies for its widespread promotion in all the spheres of economic activities. There is a need to ensure that the benefit of the ICT percolates to all the different socio-economic strata and to the grass roots of the rural India. The rural areas in India cannot be compared with its urban areas, where needs and service requirements are at a very different level. With poor existing infrastructure in the rural areas, delivery of services of essential requirements becomes in itself formidable task in its 6,40,000 villages spread out in every type of agro climatic zones. The Village Knowledge Centre (VKC) is a place to render distant services from a single window point to rural masses especially in remote areas of the country through modern Information and Communication Technology. The knowledge centre will be connected to a central studio using technologies viz WiMax/VSAT/leased line. There will be live interactive sessions in real time by the central speaker with audience at remote villages or content already prepared on any subject that the rural communities might need or desire, will be disseminated. The purpose of setting up of a vknowledge centre is to bring access to a range of services, content and information to people living in remote villages or areas which do not provide such access otherwise. This paper deals with impact of village knowledge centre on rural development in pondicherry India, The impact of ICT on rural development is assessed with reference to income poverty, information generation towards grain prices, sea conditions, bus service schedules, employment opportunities, insurance, veterinary services, procurement of quality seeds and so on. It spells out the impact of village knowledge centres on empowering the weakest, cultural change, development of Information technology literacy, creating and updating information and environmental management techniques. This paper concludes with some policy measures to improve the performance village knowledge centres towards rural development based on experiences gained in the study.