Seminar on

Study of ICT Pilot projects in India

CS671: ICT for Socio-Economic Development K. Venkateshwar Rao
06427803

Pavan Kumar Thatha

06927805

Seminar Plan

Background of study area

ICTs in Development Agenda ICTs interventions ICT Experiments in India ICTs role on key issues

Review of Literature on ICTs

Conclusion

Background of the study Rural India: profile at a glance

Total Population Households Districts Sub-districts Towns Villages Rural Population Work Area Village population : : : : : : : : :

Source: 2001-Census of India report. http://planningcommission.nic.in/

1.028 billion 191.9 million 593 5470 5161 638,588 85 per cent

Population density :

<400 per sq km
75 per cent in Agriculture <5000 on average

ICTs in Development Agenda

ICT Tools for Rural development Areas: Provide decision support to public administrators for improving planning and monitoring of programs. Improve services to citizens and bring in Transparency. Empower citizens through access to information and knowledge. Provide Training to improve the functioning of developmental organisations. Expand employment opportunities in rural areas.

Attention paying key factors: for whom? what bundle of (multi-purpose) services? how well they are managed?

ICTs in Development Agenda

ICT enabled Rural development (major) Services:

Online services for information, transaction, processing, education, training and monitoring. Market linkages between producers, traders, retailers and suppliers. Facilitation among Researchers, Knowledge workers and Farm communities.

Facilitation of Land records and on-line registration services.

Tele-education for rural citizens of all age groups and gender.

ICTs in Development Agenda

Functionaries of knowledge transmission Technologies
Capturing Technologies: Devices that collect and convert information into digital form. Ex: Input devices. Storage Technologies: Devices that store and retrieve information in digital form. Ex: Memory Devices Processing Technologies: Creating systems & applications software for the performance of digital ICT. Ex: S/W tools. Communication Technologies: Producing the devices, methods and Networks to transmit information in digital form. Ex:LAN, WAN. Display Technologies: Creating a variety of output devices for the display of digitised information. Ex: output devices.

ICTs in Development Agenda

Spread of ICTs presence in India w.r.to other Asian neighbours
Parameters No of PCs No of Cable TVs NO of Fixed Telephone lines No of Mobile Phones No of Internet connections No of Broadband connections No of Users (Internet) GDP (US $ per capita)
*

* (per 100 persons) Source: TRAI (2004:10)

India 0.8 6.0 3.9 2.6 0.4 0.02 1.0 465

Korea 78.6 43.0 51.0 75.0 26.0 25.0 65.5 10,000

Malaysia 15.0 -18.5 43.9 12.0 0.4 34.0 4,000

China 2.8 9.0 18.0 18.3 2.5 1.4 6.2 965

ICTs in Development Agenda

Development is directly proportional to Tele-density or Broad-band connectivity spread: As per World Telecom development report (2003).

Year-wise Teledensity of Rural & Urban India

20
Teledensity

15 10 5 0 Rural Urban 1998-99 0.51 6.92 1999-00 0.68 8.33 2000-01 0.93 10.16 Years 2001-02 1.21 12.2 2002-03 1.49 14.32 Rural Urban

ICTs in Development Agenda Connecting rural people through ICTs

Existing process implications to be eliminated, such as NO loss of Time

loss of Income
loss of Opportunity non-availability of Information in-time as per need, requirement to the rural livelihoods

ICTs in Development Agenda Bridging the divide through ICTs

In New Economy:

Metcalfes formula states that, 2 The value of a network = (nxn) = n , where n -> no of people connected.
Kellys New law states that, n The value of a Network = n , where n-> people make multiple, simultaneous connections between groups of people.
Example: B2B where buyers and sellers come together, communicate and trade with each other.

ICTs in Development Agenda Steves SIX-Cs for on-line services: (with respect to Marketing)
Content: Context: Community: Communication: trading data, pricing, product info, etc. specialization on a vertical. value added services that hold & attract users. the ability for members to meet & communicate each other on-line. Connectivity: use of open, web-based applications so that members

connect to each other.

Commerce: the Centralised marketplace.

ICTs interventions
ICT kiosks interventions: Initiator based National Government initiated Projects
Ex: CICs in NE and J&K states.

State Government promoted Projects

Ex: e-Seva of AP, Bhoomi of Karnataka, Setu of Maharastra.

Private corporate Sector promoted Projects

Ex: Chiraags of n-Logue, e-Chowpals of ITC, EIDs Parry corners.

Non-Government Sector promoted Projects

Ex: Wired Villages of WARNA, DRISTI, MSSRF, TARAHAT, Agri-watch.

Upcoming Large scale ICT initiatives in India

Panchayat Raj Ministry Department of IT Private sector (by 2007) ITC e-Chowpal Department of Posts State Govt. initiatives

: : : : : :

2,37,000 1,00,000 1,00,000 1,00,000 8,00,000 @3000-5000 per state

Interventions of ICT experiments in India

Source: http://www.ictforchange.org/ visited on: 23rd Sep., 2007. Till date, 174 total pilot projects are registered under EIGHT categories.

Type of ICT Pilot Projects in India 5% 4% 9% 18% 10% Application/Content Tele-Centers Hardw are Research/Advocacy/Projects 24% e-Governance CBT/Employment radio, Video and TV 30%

Zone w ise ICT pilot projects in India 17% 1% 0% 4% 13% 20% 45%

South East

North NEast

West National

Central

Interventions of ICT experiments in India

National Application/Content 21% NEast 2% East 0% Central 2% West 12% North 23% South North South 40% West Central East NEast National

e-Governance South North West Central East NEast National

National 2% NEast 2% East 0% Central 10% West 14%

South 53%

North 19%

Interventions of ICT experiments in India

Tele-Centers

CBT/Em ploym ent South

National NEast East Central 0%6% 6%0% West 17% South 55% North 16%

National 13%

North West Central East NEast National

South North West Central East NEast National

NEast 0% East 0% Central 3% West 16% South 42%

North 26%

Interventions of ICT experiments in India

State wise e-Gov pilot Projects

Sate wise ICT projects underCBT/Employment

Industry/NGOs

21% 2% 5% 7% 7% 7% AP Kerala Chatisgarh

Universities 3%

Karnataka AP Maharastra Universities

29%
Maharastra 3%

12% 10%

AP 3% Karnataka 6%

GOI/Central Depts. Maharastra Industry (keltron)

Karnataka MP Others (each)

Industry/NGO s 85%

Interventions of ICT experiments in India

State wise ICT pilot projects under Application/Content
AP 2% State Govt. Depts. 6% GOI/Central Depts. 10% Universities 13% NGOs/Orgs. 42%

NGOs/Orgs. Industry Universities GOI/Central Depts. State Govt. Depts. AP

Industry 27%

ICTs role on Key Issues Management of Rural Development Programs: Key Issues
Targeting about development of People rather than Poverty elevation methods. Problems in implementation of development programs: Centralised Planning Multiplicity of Agencies Bureaucratic and Administrative setups

Monitoring Large Programs

Inadequate Resources

Contributions of ICTs to Rural development

Offer opportunities for two-way horizontal communication among communities as

well as supporting agencies. Support bottom-up articulation of development needs and perceptions. Facilitating the merging of local, national and global information and knowledge. Support, create and strengthen interactive and collaborative networks. Support policy and advocacy by meeting information needs of all members of society. Help build consensus through the provision of information on programs, policies, decisions and issues to advocates.

Literature on ICTs says

Establishing micro-enterprises in Agriculture, food processing, animal husbandry, handicrafts, IT-based services in villages, one can achieve significant impact on rural economy. Rogers Framework for analysing the observed characteristics of kiosk users in terms of: Adopter categories Innovation attributes Adoption decision Communication channel Nature of Social system

Literature on ICTs says

Romans Perceived attributes of innovations in the context of Tele-centers are: Relative advantage
Innovation of benefit-cost effects.

Compatibility
Potential adopters to technologies.

Complexity
Understanding and using the technologies.

Literature on ICTs says

Kenneth Kenistons preliminary hypothesis on Indian ICT projects: Major gaps are Financial sustainability Scope of IT Grassroot consultation Information uses Local relevant content Local standardization of code Commercial funding Wishful thinking e-Commerce / e-Governance Impact of technical decisions on Common man!

Kenneths hypothesis on Indian ICT projects

HOPE: The use of ICTs could enable even the poorest of developing nations to leapfrog traditional problems of development like:

Poverty Illiteracy Disease Unemployment Hunger Corruption Social inequalities, so as to move rapidly into the Modern Information Age.

Hopes built on an empirical vacuum. Does Not know the factors that make for effectiveness or ineffectiveness of grassroots ICT projects in developing nations. ICTs introduction into communities otherwise unchanged will merely heighten existing inequalities. Instead of comparative research to counter or address such claims, we have Success Stories from which trustworthy generalisations are impossible.

Kenneths hypothesis on Indian ICT projects

Kenneths observations on Indian projects: Few projects are publicised. Eg: Dhar, SFs Pondichary.

Great majority NOT and these projects have rarely been studied. NO comparisons have been made between them. They are NOT in touch with each other. Lessons learned in one project are NOT shared with others. Appropriate technologies are rarely evaluated. Financial Sustainability, Scalability and Cost recovery are seldom addressed. The opportunity to learn from the Diverse, Creative Indian Experience is so far almost entirely wasted. Cost of creating a working Internet connection in developing nation is the same as --Providing immunization against SIX factor childhood diseases to thousands of children.

Kenneths hypothesis on Indian ICT projects

Kenneths Preliminary Hypothesis on Indian ICT projects: 1. There is more Talk than Action: Plans abound; on the ground realities are much fever. Few Conferences, only a few have substance so far.
2.

Nothing is anywhere nearly as simple as it seems: Almost every project is late and runs into unexpected difficulties. Eg: Land records where dead or illegible etc. The Goal of Financial Sustainability is rarely achieved: Granting the initial start-up costs have to be borne by someone, VERY FEW projects even plan for long-term sustainability, and even fewer achieve it. Once the initial public or NGO funding disappears, simply projects disappear as well. IT should not be simply identified with computers and Internet: Some inventive uses of IT involve radio, TV, satellite inventories etc. Eg: Automated butterfat assessment equipment radically simplified the process of evaluating milk & paying dairy farmers.

3.

4.

Kenneths hypothesis on Indian ICT projects

Kenneths Preliminary Hypothesis on Indian ICT projects: 5. Starting by consulting at the Grass-roots is essential: Top-down projects simply do not work, and end up by providing information that people dont really need or use.
6.

The information people initially say they need, may not always be what they end up using: Eg: MS Swaminathans project male farmers ask originally about agriculture; in fact, they started looking about government programs. Local language content is a pre-requisite for any successful project:

7.

Standardization of Code for the major Indian languages in NEED of the hour. Every major Indian language suffer from multiple scheme of coding and fonts, since absence of inter-operability between programs involving distinct codes. This Technical problem dramatically complicates the development of local S/W and of local IT use throughout India.

Kenneths hypothesis on Indian ICT projects

Kenneths Preliminary Hypothesis on Indian ICT projects: 8. The development of Locally relevant content is essential, and the nature of that content varies from region to region:

ICT for the common man projects are bound to fail, without accessible local content that addresses the real problems of local people in their own language, so they can understand better.

This is evident from Radio programs success in spreading massage in the areas of Agriculture practices, family planning services etc.

9.
i.

E-governance is one of the most promising uses of ICTs:

Computerisation of Govt. functions themselves: Eg: Linking Central State Govts. To district officials, and computerising registrations, legal proceedings, land records etc for the benefit of administrators. Govt.-to-People and People-to-Govt. Connections: Citizens can obtain direct access to records, rules, and information about entitlements that they need or what in their daily lives.

ii.

Kenneths hypothesis on Indian ICT projects

Kenneths Preliminary Hypothesis on Indian ICT projects: 10. E-Commerce, in the sense of Customer-to-Business on-line buying within India, is probably many years away for a majority of Indians:

Success is seen in railway reservation system and banking sectors. If small business S/W packages were made available in local languages, there is a chance of small & medium size merchants would quickly adopt them.

11.

Commercially funded ICT networks have considerable promise: Commercial interests may justify the experience of establishing rural info-kiosks, which can, also provide much general information in addition to specify product information.

12.

The markets for indigenous crafts is a niche market in a few rich countries: E-commerce from India to Europe, US or Japan has enormous logistic problems. Applying IT for poverty alleviation for any but a tiny fraction of Indians is NOT realistic.

Kenneths hypothesis on Indian ICT projects

Kenneths Preliminary Hypothesis on Indian ICT projects: 13. A successful commercial IT sector does not necessarily trickle down to ordinary Indians:

It for masses places emphasis on developing STPs, improving education at the higher levels of IT etc.. It make astonishing growth rate is IT, but what about general/ordinary Indians impact such as: improved living conditions, more schools, greater justice, better health, more jobs or other benefits for ordinary Indians.

14.

Apparently Technical decisions concerning IT regulations, bandwidth allocation, pricing mechanisms, transmission standards etc, can have profound effects on whether or not IT benefit ordinary Indians:

Compared to the speed of satellite television rapidly in India, ISP spread is not that encouraging.

Analysing of the impact of technical, regulatory, and technological decisions on IT for the Common Man is largely absent.

15.

The wheel is constantly reinvented:

The people of the projects are NOT usually in touch with each other, rarely publish or write anything about what they are doing. Little possibility of learning from the success or failure of projects.

Kenneths hypothesis on Indian ICT projects

Kenneths Preliminary Hypothesis on Indian ICT projects: 16. You cannot believe a lot of what you are told: A visit to a project site can be found that-

Project have closed. Project NOT yet to be in operation. Project to have deteriorated from the stated original Goals

17.

Until the costs of the Last Mile, of basic IT devices, and of local languages S/W are brought down, the goal of Wiring India will remain unachieved:

Low cost technological solutions above are off-course not solutions to the problems of development, but they are pre-requisites for IT in India. Eg: Simputore, India-Linux movement etc.

18.

The IT for the Masses, Bridging the Digital Divide movement has an inordinate amount of exaggeration and wishful thinking:

We need to define the characteristics of those projects (meet poors basic needs & assets fundamental rights) and try to spread the word about what works and what does NOT.

Conclusion
The challenge is to learn if, when, how and where ICTs (of all kinds) can be most

cost-effective means to help rural people. Pilots highlighted the multi-sectorial development interventions using different technology options. How the benefits of pilots to be integrated is the study of the future. Have to be found the sustainability mantra for ICT projects in India to deliver needed objectives.

An integrated ICT model as accepted by people to be found using SWOT analysis on

pilot projects experiences. Rogers, Roman and Kenneth proposals are measured for further studies.

Thank you