Role Information & Communication Technology for Rural Market discusses how ICT can benefit rural India. Some key points: - India has a large rural population, with over 70% of Indians living in rural areas. Access to services and opportunities is limited. - ICT projects aim to use technology to provide rural citizens access to information, markets, education, healthcare and more. Examples include e-Choupal, Akshaya, and n-Logue multipurpose internet kiosks. - Challenges include unreliable electricity, telecommunications infrastructure, and socioeconomic barriers like gender inequality. Successful models require addressing these issues.

1. Role Information & Communication Technology for Rural Market Mayank Singh Roll No. 25 MBA (Entrepreneurship & Leadership) 2008

2. India Big picture Population --1,080,264,388 (around 70% lives in rural area) Area -- 3,287,590 sq km (more than 600,000+ villages) Political subdivisions-- 28 states,7 union territories Literacy--55.2 % Per-capita income-- 0.4 $ per day Big question Can technology make any difference to these people Can they effort these technologies

3. Development info projects, programs, schemes & feedback Procurement of Produce Supply of inputs Supply of consumer produce & services Knowledge & info useful for economic activities Entertainment & info for social needs Issue of Certificates and Licenses Delivery of health & educational services Education, training to enhance employment & economic opportunity Access to Markets Rural Citizen

4. Retail and IT Models India Boasts of a huge unorganized rural retailing system through the 42,000 haats. However organized rural retailing has not taken deep roots in rural India. ITC has set up E-Choupal which they are looking to spread all over the country. Godrej, Tatas, Reliance, Escorts and others are also finalizing their rural retailing plans.

5. IT and Connectivity putting an impact way business was done earlier. Communication helping Traders, retailers, dealer to penetrate to the deep rural area. Help in managing low inventory with help of communication media.

6. What is a rural kiosk? A shop or community center in a rural village equipped with one or more Internet-connected PCs.

7. Kiosk

8. India:ICT Project Example Name of the Project Purpose Future planes Akshaya Making a district E-literate, limited employment generation. Delivery of multiple service at Akshaya centers and expand it to other districts Bhoomi Issue of Land title at 177 Bhoomi kiosks and through privately owned kiosks Expand rural kiosk network Drishtee Creating a network of privately owned kiosks for e access to info, government and service commercial Expand Network to cover new kiosk E-choupal The prime target is farmer. Farmers get information about seeds’ price, etc Scale to more users N-Logue Multipurpose Internet kiosks based on WILL Expand for commercial utilization Gyandoot Connecting rural cyber café catering the everyday needs of the masses. Extend for global Internet

9. ITC’s eChoupal , February 26-27, 2004

10. eChoupal Infrastructure and Services Internet kiosk in the house of a trained farmer ( Sanchalak) within walking distance of target farmers Warehousing hub managed by the old middleman, w ithin tractorable distance of target farmers Customised knowledge on farm and risk management Better supply chain for ITC for farm inputs --lower transaction costs, better value through traceability Relevant real-time information results in higher income Commodity prices, local weather, news, customized knowledge despite heterogeneity, reduced transaction costs Direct marketing channel for farm produce Screened for quality, demand aggregation for competitive prices and efficient logistics

11. 3,500 eChoupals in 5 states of India covering 21,000 villages, servicing 2.0 million farmers, sourcing a range of agri commodities (oilseeds, grains, coffee, aquaculture) Marketing a variety of goods and services (agri-inputs, consumer goods, insurance, market research) Plan for 20,000 Choupals in 15 states covering 100,000 villages, servicing 25 million farmers by 2010 with projected transactions of US$ 2.5 billion Higher incomes through-better yields and prices

12. One Example: n-Logue Services: Communication Education Computer Education Remote tutorial Typing Photography Agriculture Veterinary Health Care

13. One Example: n-Logue Services: Communication Education Computer Education Remote tutorial Typing Photography Agriculture Veterinary Health Care Email, Chatting, Video conferencing etc

14. One Example: n-Logue Services: Communication Education Computer Education Remote tutorial Typing Photography Agriculture Veterinary Health Care Teaching computer, distance education, etc

15. One Example: n-Logue Services: Communication Education Computer Education Remote tutorial Typing Photography Agriculture Veterinary Health Care DTP, MSWord etc

16. One Example: n-Logue Services: Communication Education Computer Education Remote tutorial Typing Photography Agriculture Veterinary Health Care Use of the web cam for photography

17. One Example: n-Logue Services: Communication Education Computer Education Remote tutorial Typing Photography Agriculture Veterinary Health Care Weather forecasting, Disease detection, soil analysis etc

18. One Example: n-Logue Services: Communication Education Computer Education Remote tutorial Typing Photography Agriculture Veterinary Health Care Consulting with doctors in city by sending online images of the animal

19. One Example: n-Logue Services: Communication Education Computer Education Remote tutorial Typing Photography Agriculture Veterinary Health Care Remote diagnostic tools, Consulting with doctors in city

20. India:Problem Associated with ICT project The problem associated with ICT Intermittent, inconsistent electrical power Scarce and unreliable telephony system Unreliable internet connectivity Socio factor such as gender inequality, religious communal difference Self centered political leader, party and corruption

21. Other possible models for IT in development: PCs for village administration Government-subsidized kiosks Rural business process outsourcing (BPO) Computers in schools IT for existing non-IT development projects Etc.

22. Thank You…..