Chapter V Role of Information Technology in Changing the Scenario of Rural Society The dichotomy of haves and have-nots in this world is attributed to the gap or asymmetric information. In the current phase of development, ICT plays an important role in bridging the gap and eventually set for poverty alleviation to a great extent. This analysis tries to critically examine the problems and possibilities of digital development in order to reveal the larger impact that information and communication technologies could have on rural economies and societies in India. The first requisite is a major effort to transform and develop the basic infrastructure like local spoken and written languages into universally used set of computer codes, fonts, and so on. ICTs in Education- Increased and improved education through computers, internet, television, radio or about computers or both would contain the poverty in all fronts. There are several successful initiations to demonstrate the role of ICTs to promote education among poor and preventing poverty. Table: 46 Distribution of the respondents regarding the changes made in their education due to information communication technology- 1 Educational changes made 248 82.67 2 No changes were made 52 17.33 Total 300 100:00 The data in the above table indicates that due to the knowledge and skill received under information communication technology a significant majority (82.67%) of the respondents had made educational changes in their knowledge while only 17.33 per cent stated that they had made no changes. 130
ICTs in Entrepreneurship- ICTs play an important role in direct poverty alleviation by enhancing activities of poor and increasing their productivity by way of new credit and financial services, new opportunities to design, manufacture and market products through the Internet or intranet systems, etc. These interventions can be successful only when accompanied with other supporting infrastructure consisting of access roads, storage facilities, competitive markets and opportunities to global market. The impact of select projects demonstrates various levels of reducing poverty. Table: 47 Distribution of the respondents regarding the changes made in their entrepreneurship due to information communication technology- 1 Entrepreneurial changes made 226 75.33 2 No changes were made 74 24.67 Total 300 100:00 The data in the above table indicates that due to the enterprise and monetary received under information communication technology a significant majority (75.33%) of the respondents had made entrepreneurial changes in their knowledge while only 24.67 per cent stated that they had made no changes. ICTs in Health Programmes- There are many successful initiatives to demonstrate the role of ICTs to promote health of the poor and preventing poverty that originate from poor health by way of providing superior medical advice, diagnosis or knowledge in their locality. 131
Table: 48 Distribution of the respondents regarding the changes made in their health due to information communication technology- 1 Promote health care 196 65.33 2 No changes were made 104 34.67 Total 300 100:00 The data in the above table indicates that due to the providing superior medical advice, diagnosis or knowledge received under information communication technology a significant majority (65.33%) of the respondents had made promote health care knowledge while only 34.67 per cent stated that they had made no changes. ICTs in Promoting Democracy ICTs play a major role in supporting the culture of democracy, democratic processes and civic values that uphold a democratic system. Interventions in e-democracy involve processes on electronic interaction between government and citizens. The aim is to: provide for citizens access to information and knowledge about political process, services and available choices, and facilitate transformation of passive information access to active citizen participation by informing, representing, encouraging to vote, consulting and involving citizens. Thus, ICTs aid in creating well-informed and active citizenship, undermining closed and undemocratic regimes, and supporting watchdog role of citizen groups. Often the poor know their problems well, but they lack knowledge of larger socio-economic context of their poverty and various options to improve their situations. It is essential that development planners need to have direct contact with poor, to link development programs to realities. Panchayati Raj system is an institution of self-government which needs timely adequate functioning. The Panchayats needs to be provided with 132
adequate resource by way of grants and aids from central and state government, so as to enable them for execution of development programmes in the village. Gram panchayat have been reflecting the collective will of the community. Gram panchayat are the media through which every individual had the opportunity to express himself in the progress of community. The gram panchayat members and chairperson of the panchayat could play an important role as extension agents, associates in the planning and implementation of programmer for rural development at the grass root level. Gram panchayat members could also play role in identifying location specific technologies for rural development and in methods of communicating, motivating and organizing them. The village panchayat are entrusted with a wide range of activities for rural development and welfare of rural people. These panchayat of village level are meant for direct supervision and implementation of the programmes liker, child development, adult education, sanitation construction works and other family welfare programmes. The village panchayat also manage water supply, schools and other facilities for rural society. But, on the basis of the observation Panchayati system has fragmented the rural society in villages. It has created cleavages and generated tensions leading to casteism, groupism and factionelism. This leads to bitter infightings, allegations and counter allegations, mutual suspicions and rivalries. The factionalism starts with different groups among panchayat leaders. The respondents were asked to state their relations with the members of village panchayat. Their responses are given below- Table: 49 Responses of the respondents regarding their relation with the members of village panchayat- S. No. Relations Frequency Percentage 1. Very Good 49 16.33 2. Good 88 29.33 3. Normal 153 51.00 4. Bad 10 3.34 Total 300 100.00 133
The above data indicate that 16.33 percent of the respondents had very good relations with the village panchayat while 29.33 percent had good relations. A majority of 51.00 percent of the respondents indicated that they had normal relations and only 3.34 percent of the respondents had bad type of relation with the village panchayat. Thus we find that majority of the respondents had normal relations with the village panchayat. The reason behind keeping normal relation was to take benefits of various schemes of the government with is enrooted through the panchayat. Table: 50 Opinion of the respondents regarding the solution of conflicts- S. No. Opinion Frequency Percentage 1. Solve mutually 183 61.00 2. In Panchayat 91 30.33 3. In Court 26 8.67 Total 300 100.00 The above table indicates that a majority of the respondents (61.00%) were of the view that conflicts should be solved mutually without any interference and 30.33 per cent were of the opinion that it should be solved in panchayat where as only 8.67 per cent were of the view that it should be solved in courts. Thus are find that the majority view of the respondents was to solve the conflicts mutually between the concerned parties. Technological According to dictionary of Sociology, technology is the combination of totality of techniques employed by people at a given period for the purpose of adaptations to their bio-physical environments. More broadly, it includes elements of social organizations, such as co-operation, division of labour, management, etc. This dual view of technology is supported by Herskowitz 134
(1948), writes men wrests from their habit by means of their technology-the food stiffs, shelter, the clothing and the implements they must have it they are to survive. The objects they make and use for these purposes are (their) material culture. Nayudamma (1977) observed that technology is today mankind s main enterprise. There is no escape for us from the according affect and massive inpact of technology on our outlook, life styles, and social cultural, political and economic structures. He further observes that technology is to be judged by its contribution to social and economic development empirical evidences suggest that due to new improved technology there has been changes not only important rural enterprises but also important the socio- economic relations as a consequence of technology use. Due to introduction of Information Technology in the selected villages, the rural respondents have adopted improved technology over their old traditional methods. The new technologies have established their superiority over the old ones. It is therefore assumed that the use of such technologies lead to socio-economic changes in the rural areas. Due to introduction of information technology in these villages, the rural respondents have adopted improved technology over their old traditional methods. The new technologies have established their superiority over the old ones. It is therefore assumed that the use of such technologies lead to socioeconomic changes in rural societies. Table: 51 Distribution of the respondents regarding the technological changes made in their respective enterprises- 1 Technologies changes made 268 89.33 2 No changes were made 32 10.67 Total 300 100:00 The data in the above table indicates that due to the monetary benefits received under information technology a significant majority (89.33%) of the 135
respondents had made technological changes in their respective enterprise while only 10.67 per cent stated that they had made no changes. It may be concluded that they were well aware about the benefits of improved technology and the economic help in the form of information technology has induced the process of technological changes. Table: 52 Responses of the respondents regarding the impact of technological changes due to information communication technology- 1. Increase in output 274 91.33 2. Increase in income 268 89.33 3. Improvement in the level of living 266 88.66 4. Increase in contact with urban areas 266 88.66 From the above data it is clear that 91.33 per cent of respondents had stated increase in output; 89.33 per cent of the respondents had increase in income, and 88.66 per cent of the respondents had improvement in the level of living and same per cent of the respondents in the case of contact with urban areas as a result of technological changes effected due to information technology. Other aspects- Table: 53 Responses of the respondents regarding the other social aspects change due to information communication technology- 1. Changing in food habits 221 73.67 2. Changing in dressing sense 168 56.00 3. Changing in cultural activities 166 55.33 4. Changing in religious activities 104 34.66 5 Changing in purchasing power 155 51.66 6 Changing in KAS 170 56.66 136
From the above data it is clear that 73.67 per cent of respondents stated Changing in food habits; 56.00 per cent of the respondents had changed their dressing sense, 55.33 per cent of the respondents had changed their cultural activities, 34.66 per cent of the respondents changed their religious activities, 51.66 per cent of the respondents changed their purchasing power and 56.66 per cent of the respondents changed their KAS (Knowledge, Skill and Attitude) due to information technology. ICTs in Governance- ICTs facilitate improved access to government and quasi-government resources and services. Good governance ensures transparent use of public funds, growth of private sector, effective delivery of public services, rule of law, etc. It also facilitates pro-poor policies and foolproof macroeconomic management. The factors that have influence on denial of basic services to the poor are lack of investment, institutional structures that lack accountability, domination by local elites and well-to-do, widespread corruption, culturally and socially determined inequality, and lack of participation by the poor (Asian Development Bank, 1999). Bottlenecks and Solutions- The basic requirements for successful implementation of rural ICTs initiatives are electricity, hardware, appropriate software, telephony, network connectivity and policy guidelines. The electrical supply in many rural areas will be restricted to only 6 or 8 hours with varying voltage and frequency that are far outside the acceptable limits of hardware. Often grounding is not available. For most rural ICTs projects, battery back-ups, universal power supplies, solar power panels, circuit breakers and voltage stabilizers are necessary. Several hardware innovations are emerging in the country to function for 4 hours and more without recharging. Observations/Lessons Learned from ICTs Projects- The experience with ICTs projects in India is a mixed one and few projects fared well. While initiation and implementation of these projects, 137
various perspectives have to be taken into account, viz. technological, organizational, economic and social. The factors that contributed to the success of select projects are: (i) for e-choupal ease of reliability and scalability model, customization of technologies to meet specific local needs, organizational commitment to success, involving local community members for training and selecting one of them as a coordinator and infusing high trust by profit sharing between platform holder and beneficiaries; (ii) for Information Village Research community readiness to accept innovations, economic benefits, high trust among the community, inclusion of gender sensitivity to take care of women empowerment and assurance of equitable benefits to the participants; (iii) for Ascent - intensive skill development efforts, high returns from new technology and reputation of implementing agency; etc. Economically responsible projects are already proving more successful than charitable or free models. Projects that identify and cost the services they provide are more successful. The sustainability of ICTs projects is high when external component of the project funding is of a reasonable level and the activities are sustainable. The creation of assets and training of people enhances the sustainability of ICTs projects. These projects work effectively when training is an inherent component of the project and skill development ensures rapid diffusion of innovation through interactions and communication. ICTs projects have assisted rural communities by providing them with news, information, advice and knowledge that has hitherto been inaccessible to them. This information has allowed rural citizens/consumers to make more informed economic decisions: landless laborers have negotiated their daily wages more effectively; and tractors, threshers, old television sets, cattle and motorcycles have all been traded across towns and villages due to online advertisements. Until the cost of basic IT devices that deliver the last mile of connectivity and local language software is lowered, the goal of wiring rural India will remain a dream. 138