Emerging Trends in Business Paradigm of Rural Economy Through Information and Communication Technology

7/24/2019 Emerging Trends in Business Paradigm of Rural Economy Through Information and Communication Technology

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EMERGING TRENDS IN BUSINESS: PARADIGM SHIFT OFRURAL ECONOMY THROUGH INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Dr. B. YASODHA JAGADEESWARI, M.A., M.Phil., M.B.A., Ph.D., Assist !t Pr"#$ss"r, PG % R$s$ r&h D$' rt($!t "# E&"!"(i&s, H"l) Cr"ss C"ll$*$ +A t"!"(" s-, Tir &hir '' lli /01110. E M il I2: 2r) $sh"3*( il.&"( M"4il$ N".: 567689 /06; : (1elf 3mployed 'omen9s Association), uses ICT for women empowerment. The

main goal of 13'A is to promote local income generating opportunities among women. The

1elf 3mployed 'omenGs Association 13'A, with $,%%,%%% membership is spread over %%

villages in =u!arat. It uses an programme to develop a cadre of barefoot managers among the

poor women wor/ers, focusing on women in panchayats, forests, water conservation and so on.

Through ICT, training is provided on issues as disaster management, leadership building, healthand education, child development etc .

G) !2""t > is a pro!ect started in 7adhya 0radesh to fund rural networ/ed cyber /ios/s

through panchayats. The pro!ect was started in +har district, to offer villages multiple services

through internet based pro!ect. Through this pro!ect, information is available about rural life and

agricultural pro!ects. The internet gives information which was earlier available through

middlemen. Information is available about education and employment opportunities. Complaints

can be lodged on the internet which is of great help to men and women.

M.S. S> (i! th !: 2esearch pro!ect in 0ondicherry in Fisherman in

Veerampatinam village near goes to the MSSRFs Village Knowledge Centre

(VKC) and gets information on sea wave heights likely in the next 2 ho!rs"

#his is downloaded for him from a $S %avy we&site" 'e then asks for

information pertaining to safety at sea sh*shoal o++!rren+e near the

seashore and post,harvesting te+hni-!es so he +an sh in the right area"

Seems impossi&le in a remote village in .ndia/ #his is what the .C# revol!tion

is doing in the +o!ntry ,, opening !p opport!nities to a++ess information

even in the most 0!nrea+ha&le1 of villages"

S(il$: (1avitri 7ar/eting Institution for 4adies 3mpowerment) is a voluntary

organisation in 0une. This pro!ect has increased literacy level of underprivileged women through

the usage of ICT. Internet has also helped them mar/et their various products li/e soft toys,


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candles, bags, utility items, etc. Through Internet, there is greater awareness and exposure and

mar/et reach for the products.

D t ( ti"! F" !2 ti"!: started a pro!ect in $%%B in 1eelampur area of +elhi for

7uslim women. The pro!ect localised appropriate communication and information networ/s by

setting up an ICT centre at a 7adarsa. This helped lin/ resource poor women to the information

and tools for /nowledge management. It also helped establish buyer seller lin/ages towards

eradication of absolute poverty. It has established its standing in the community and became a

big attraction for the women of 1eelampur. 0eople drop in to consult on matters other than

computer training. The ICT centre has created self confidence in women and creating awareness

about their interest and helped them ta/e collective decisions.

D ir) I!#"r( ti"! S$r i&$s =i"s@: (+I1E) is a pro!ect which uses Information and

Communication Technology (ICT) in the dairy sector in =u!arat. ICT enables the creation of costeffective solutions that strengthen the exchange of useful information between farmers and the

union. ICT facilitates dairy farmers with timely messages and education to manage their milch

cattle and enhance the production of :uality mil/. It is also assisting dairy unions in effectively

scheduling and organi ing the veterinary, artificial insemination, cattle feed and other related

services. @sage of ICT goes a long way in empowering men and women.

A ( * "! S""&h! =$!2r : (7y village9s information centre) is a pro!ect started by

=overnment of #rissa by setting up &B Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

/ios/s in the rural areas of $ districts of #rissa. These /ios/s are run by 'omen 1;=sF

0anchayatsF -=#s F C #s F Jouth Clubs and managed by the Community IT volunteers paid

through user charges collected and managed by the local hosts. @nder a partnership with 7ission

Shakti , women 1;= members are being trained on computer fundamentals and Internet basics at

the IT Eios/s on payment of an affordable fee. Access to IT training goes a long way in

empowerment of women.

The usage of ICT is prevalent in several villages in 7aharashtra. In W r ! Pr" $&t , in a

?1AT and 2" based computer communication networ/, a highly user friendly information

system in 7arathi was developed. This was used for mar/eting of agriculture produce with a

number of online features for selling the product of the &% villages to wholesale outlets in 0une

and other cities and towns in 7aharashtra. Information is updated daily with the help of the

villagers themselves. Internet thus provides suitable opportunities to men and women.


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IMPACT ON SMALL SCALE BUSINESS

Information and communication are the lifeblood of efficient mar/ets, and ICT could

develop mar/ets and alleviate poverty, even without advanced ICT applications li/e e commerce.

7ar/et prices act as coordinating signals for producers and consumers. ut in isolated villages in

developing countries there are virtually no sources of information regarding mar/et prices and

other production related information. 1tudies suggest the pervasiveness of poor and late

information on prices, wor/, and income opportunities in rural areas, with heavy toll on the rural

poor in developing countries (3ggleston, et al. $%%$). @nder these conditions, even basic

communication technologies could play a ma!or role in creating efficient mar/ets, improving

producer practices, and speeding innovation. The =rameen9s program to lease mobile phones tolow income women in angladesh indicates that close to half of all calls involved economic

purposes such as discussing mar/et prices, employment opportunities, land transactions, among

others. 2ather than creating a digital divide,D ICT could be used to create digital provide.D

The fishing industry in Eerala is important as &%K of its population eats fish daily and

over a million people wor/ in fisheries. "ishing is done primarily by small enterprises. There is

little storage of fish and little transportation between mar/ets. "ishermen are traditionally unable

to observe prices in other mar/ets. Thus the :uantity and prices of fish in any local mar/et is

determined by the local catch. This results in significant differences in prices, daily and across

mar/ets as well as wasted catches. As mobile phone was introduced in Eerala in **&, fishermen

adopted it :uic/ly, reaching a penetration rate of &%K. "ishermen use the phones while at sea to

find out the prices of different mar/ets and to decide where to land their catches, conducting

auctions by phone. After phone adoption, B%L6%K of fishermen began selling fish outside their

home mar/ets. This significantly reduced the dispersion in prices among mar/ets, from % rupees

per /ilogram before adoption to a few rupees after adoption. It also reduced wastage. The profits

of fishermen !umped by BB rupees a dayMa *K increase. Impact on consumer is relatively

modestM6K price reduction (5ensen and Trenholm, $%%&).

ICT RE?OLUTION


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The ICT revolution is shaping the structures of organi ations and how organi ations wor/

and relate, and this impact is fast diffusing beyond business to public and civil society

organi ations. -ew forms of organi ations have become possible or even necessary to leverage

ICT> flat, agile, lean, extended, globally networ/ed, and client focused. The reorgani ation of

production and distribution around ICT has enabled the adoption of new processes, procedures,

and organi ational structures, which in turn, have led to sustainable gains in productivity, :uality,

and responsiveness. 3arly evidence started to emerge in the late **%s in the business sector in

advanced countries ( ryn!olfsson and ;itt, $%%% 4itan and 2ivlin, $%%%). ICT has made it

possible to have very large scale organi ations that are at the same time flexible, agile, and

focused. The latest advances in areas such as mobile, broadband, and collaborative technologies

('eb $.%) have further intensified the transformative impact of ICT on organi ations.

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

The 1tudy identifies ways to develop business through Information and Communication

Technologies (ICT) actively and effectively to promote the empowerment of rural economics. It

is clear that the importance of Information and Communication Technologies is not the

technology as such, but it9s enabling function in access to /nowledge, information and

communications for business. It is increasingly becoming the important elements in today9s

economic and social interaction. In the span of one generation, Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) has brought about a lot of changes globally. The role of information

technology for business development in rural ac:uires greatest significance yet it re:uires highly

sophisticated and learned society as a basic ground.

The study therefore suggests that technological development is an urgent re:uirement for

the business development in rural. ;owever, individual attitudes, social changes and interest in

accessing ICTs are also becoming increasingly important issues in the technology based

empowerment of rural people. Any technological empowerment related initiatives should

identify the significant needs of rural people in the information world. In this connection, the role

of government, private and corporate sectors and the civil society is vital.

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Emerging Trends in Business Paradigm of Rural Economy Through Information and Communication Technology