ICT for sustainable rural development: An Indian perspective

The Rural development plays a significant role for the growth of economy in India. In the current scenario our main focus is on poverty alleviation, better employment, provision of basic services and infrastructure facilities as far as rural development is concerned. The infusion of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is playing a prominent role in strengthening these demands. ICT in Rural Development can not only speed up the development process but bring the educationally and technologically backward and forward sections of the society on the common platform. Bridging the digital divide also bridges the overall infrastructural gap and addresses other constraints faced by rural areas.

ICT acts as a measurement of the development of any society in this knowledge era. Now a days, ICT plays a key role for better productivity, proficiency, increased capital and prosperity. This paper presents a brief review of the present ICT technologies, overview of the rural ICT projects like ‘Gyandoot’ community network, NREGA etc and the issue associated with the use of ICT for rural development and discusses its impact on sustainable rural development. It also reflects on e-powering rural India and effects of ICT projects on poverty reduction and finally their empowerment.