Introduction

1. Introduction U. B. Desai Department of Electrical Engineering ubdesai@ee.iitb.ac.in EPBAX: 7414

2. ICT as a Socio-Political-Techno System Technology Govt. / Policy ICT for Development Community Organization Industry / Local Entrep.

3. Use of ICT for Bridging Digital-X • Education Divide • Health Divide • Income Divide • Opportunity Divide • Improve quality of life • Many in the upper strata of the society have benefited from ICT • The question today is: How can we take this benefit to a much larger section of the society; rural areas and small towns

4. Some Illustrative Examples

5. Example of ICT support for Agriculture Before • Village in Madurai • Lady’s finger was turning • yellow • Web-cam image was sent to • Madurai Agriculture college • They diagnosed it as “yellow mosaic • disease” and suggested a remedy • The farmer was able to save • nearly one lakkh After

6. ICT for Veterinary Support • Goat had a wound near • its mouth • Could not eat • A web-cam picture sent to • the vet college in Madurai • The suggestions from the • vet cured the goat in • two days

7. Outsourcing to Rural Areas from Urban Areas

8. Rural ATM • Urban ATMs • cost Rs.8 lakhs • Develop a • rural AT for • Rs. 40k • Will generate • cash flow in • rural areas at • market defined • interest rates

9. Fingerprint Authentication Use of plastic ID cards “smart or otherwise” not viable in rural areas

10. Examples described are from the work done by Tenet Group, IIT-Madras and n-Logue • Such activity is going on all over the country, albiet, in small pockets • At IITB, Prof. Ramamrithm, Prof. Joshi have been working on projects involving use of ICT for rural areas and have been deployed in Pabal

11. eSeva, Integrated Citizen Services, Andhra Pradesh Lok Mitra and Jan Mitra Projects from Rajasthan e- BillPost and e- Post Services of the Department of Posts RASI (Rural Access to Services through the Internet) earlier called SARI and n- Logue Communications Gyandoot Community Information Centres (CIC) Project (Dept. of Info Tech., Govt.of India) Bhoomi Drishtee dot. com Ltd. ITC eChoupal Kuppam i- community, Andhra Pradesh Akshaya- Kerala Govt's Hundred Percent ICT Literacy Project Information Village Research Project- IVRP by MSSRF Swayam Krishi Sangam (SKS) TARAhaat GRAMDOOT M. S. Swaminathan Foundation Partial List of Some ICT4D projects in India

12. ICT for Women’s Empowerment Community Radio- Deccan Development Society Community Radio- Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS): Sisu Samrakshak ICT- enabled Child health care by UNICEF Change Initiatives- Nabanna- Empowering women 94 SEWA Partial List of Some ICT4D projects in India …

13. Research Areas in ICT4D with focus on Small Town and Rural India

14. Networking and Information Management • What is the best, network architecture for delivering voice, video and data • Wireless, fiber or copper or combination? • Intermittent or always on connectivity? • Mobile or stationary? • Information management systems • What kind of information • Fast access to information at low cost and over low bandwidth connectivity

15. User Interfaces • Universal User Interface for multiple languages and low literacy levels • Speech • Iconic user interfaces • Task-specific interfaces • Universality possible?

16. Affordable Devices • Affordability of device and network connectivity extremely critical for ICT penetration • Are PCs, Hand-helds the only kind of affordable devices?

17. Health Care and Education • Health Care • ICT for affordable health care in rural areas and small towns • Education • Training (CAD-CAM etc.) • Learning • Host of projects at KReSIT in e-education

18. Power • Affordable and Reliable Power • Solar Power • Locally generated power with local distribution as opposed to centralized distribution system • Low power electronics

19. Microfinance and e-Commerce • Microfinance • Micro Credit • Micro Transactions • Micro Payment • What kind of models will be applicable • e-Commerce • How to exploit the ubiquitous cellular technology for microfinance?

20. e-Governance • e.g. Bhoomi Project – digitization of land records • e-Banking • Already available for urbanites with reasonable incomes • How can this be extended to low income groups and rural areas – rural ATM is step towards this

21. Business Models • New Business Models • for sustainable use of ICT in rural and small town India, as well as urban India • e.g. we have the lowest cell phone tariff in the world – 2 cents per minute, based not on technology but clever business models which has very low OPEX • Grameen Phone in Bangladesh • n-Logue • e-choupal

22. Services • Services • Which are the services that will be of interest to rural population • Price of crops? • Price of produce? • ??? • Boils down to developing right content. Easily said than done.

23. Entertainment • Affordable Entertainment thru ICT • e.g. showing VCDs is very common in rural kiosks • Financially lucrative • Issues of providing quality entertainment on low bandwidth network

24. Some Issues • Is too much money (Govt. and private) being diverted towards ICT4D at the expenses of real social cause and infrastructure development (like water ways, electricity, food distribution etc)? • How is ICT affecting gender equality in urban, semi-urban and rural areas? • Is there a lot of hype in ICT4D which will fade with time? • What has been the real impact of ICT for rural folks? • …

25. Questions • Comments • Thoughts • …