Assessment of impact of information technology on rural areas of India
The Swaminathan Research Foundation
This report prepared by the project implementors looks at the effect of information technology in rural communities by stydying a project involving ICTs in six villages in Pondicherry. In this exercise, village information centres were set up and local people were trained in operation of the system. Services offered by these centres included providing information about a diverse set of topics, from government schemes for the poor to input prices for farm products and even wave height data for use by fishermen. The report concludes that the overall impact has been opositive and has made significant strides in empowering the rural poor using information technology. However, there are still challenges to be overcome - for example long-term sustainability from an economic point of view. In conclusion, this project has illustrated how ICT can be an effective tool in making a real difference in the lives of the rural poor and holds a lot of promise in this field.