Research Paper on ICT Connect Model for Rural India

In India 70% of the population live in rural India and depends solely on
agriculture and cattle farming for their livelihood. This sector unlike the urban sector
have very few survival opportunities and facilities. These farmers cannot optimize
on their occupation due to limited access to information and knowledge pertaining
to their work.
There has been several ICT initiatives taken by government and public
organisations with the objective of disseminating information to rural india. This
includes government initiatives like e-choupal, Warna Wired Project, eAqua , Mkrishi
by TCS, the farmers and the agricultural portal, Infosys supply chain system for
rural india etc.
The current ICT solution provide them with following information:(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)

Weather Forecasts
Market prices
Dealers information
Government schemes and subsidies details
Government development programs or initiative

These initiatives were beneficial but not enough in enabling the rural people
with information. There have been several difficulties like the following:a) Rural India includes many uneducated people
b) Rural India speaks and understands regional languages
c) Not all of Rural India is well connected with communication (telephone and
internet) infrastructure.
d) Lack of information source to get answers to specific queries of farmers.
ICT application
information:-

could

help

the

farmers

with

the

following

a) Information on conducting farming using innovative techniques like green

house farming
b) Information of dealers for pesticides, seed , insurance schemes, tractors
and other equipments required for farming.
c) Information on weather forecasting region wise
d) Information on any pest disease
e) Information of dealers for selling the produce
f) Information on government schemes and subsidies
g) Information for equipment sharing in case of expensive equipments.
Innovative techniques like green housing farming require the use of
several expensive equipment which are not affordable to every farmer.
The farmers can share such equipment if available in the neighb ourhood.
They should have access to information on which villages in the
neighborhood possess a given equipment. This would enable them to

either hire these equipments or share it in a barter economy facilitating

sharing of equipment
h) Sharing of specific information or query among people from various rural
sector pertaining to agriculture or cattle farming.
We need an ICT model for rural India that could connect every
individual villager in India and provide a platform where every individual
can put up their queries in their regional languages, share experiences
and find answers to every thing they want to know pertaining to their
occupation giving them an opportunity to share and learn. Farmers from
different villages could interact using this platform.
This research paper is an attempt to create a mobile social
application for rural India that would provide a medium to connect every
individual villager and would become a platform through which they can
exchange information thereby bringing rural India closer to each other and
providing them information at their doorsteps. This effort would make
them independent, confident and efficient in conducting their occupation.