Technology for rural development role of telecommunication media in India

The media scenario in India has undergone a spectacular change since Independence. From the days of bullock cart, we have traveled down the modern age of satellite technology and cyberspace. The country has been witnessing a revolution in communication technology. Ever since the beginning of planned development in the country, the role of mass media in the development process has been recognized significantly. With the launching of grass roots democratic structures, followed by vigorous efforts to implement Right to Information, Rural Health Mission, Drinking Water Mission, Rural Electrification, Rural Employment, Empowerment of Women, and renewed enthusiasm to spread the light of Literacy, the mass media is now at an advantageous position to meet the challenges of rural uplift in this 21st century. Rural upliftment has always been remained a prime concern of all governments in India. The Indian economy is pre-dominantly rural. More than 72 per cent of the Indian population reside in villages and rural areas. Rural women are a vital part of Indian economy and one-third of national labour force and a major contributor to the survival of the family. Government is making continued efforts to provide equitable growth opportunities to rural women by the ways of empowerment and upgrading the information infrastructure in rural and remote areas. For many years now, the press, particularly regional and local vernacular press, the All India Radio and the national television Doordarshan have been putting out programmes for benefit of the rural people. The recent boom in satellite television combined with government's decentralization policy in telecommunication sector have been in the process of transforming the rural information and communication infrastructure to a great extent. In this paper, a detail study has been carried out how the telecom media has been flourishing and contributing towards the rural development process in India.