Role of Information Technology in Our Country's Development
Role of Information Technology in Agriculture and its Scope in India
S.C. Mittal,1
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Abstract
Information of the required quality always has the potential of improving efficiency in all spheres of agriculture. The emerging scenario of a deregulated agriculture, thanks to WTO, has brought in a greater ‘need’ and urgency to make it an integral part of decision making by Indian agricultural community.
Information Technology (IT) has a major role to play in all facets of Indian agriculture. In addition to facilitating farmers in improving the efficiency and productivity of agriculture and allied activities, the potential of IT lies in bringing about an overall qualitative improvement in life by providing timely and quality information inputs for decision making. The personnel who work for the welfare of Indian farmers, such as extension workers, do not have access to latest information which hinders their ability to serve the farming community effectively. This paper focusses on the scope for e-powering people who live in rural India as well as those who work for their welfare. The latest developments in IT that facilitate effective IT penetration to rural India, changing pattern of information requirements & role of IT, type of systems required in the post-WTO environment, the bottlenecks in e-powering rural India along with possible solutions are examined.
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Information Technology and its Components
Induction of IT as a strategic tool for agricultural development and welfare of rural India requires that the necessary IT infrastructure is in place. The rapid changes and downward trend in prices in various components of IT makes it feasible to target at a large scale
IT penetration into rural India. Some of the broad factors to be noted with respect to various components of IT are listed below :
1. Input devices : Radical improvements are witnessed with respect to the means of communication by human beings with computers such as key boards, mouse devices,
S.C. Mittal,1
* * *
Abstract
Information of the required quality always has the potential of improving efficiency in all spheres of agriculture. The emerging scenario of a deregulated agriculture, thanks to WTO, has brought in a greater ‘need’ and urgency to make it an integral part of decision making by Indian agricultural community.
Information Technology (IT) has a major role to play in all facets of Indian agriculture. In addition to facilitating farmers in improving the efficiency and productivity of agriculture and allied activities, the potential of IT lies in bringing about an overall qualitative improvement in life by providing timely and quality information inputs for decision making. The personnel who work for the welfare of Indian farmers, such as extension workers, do not have access to latest information which hinders their ability to serve the farming community effectively. This paper focusses on the scope for e-powering people who live in rural India as well as those who work for their welfare. The latest developments in IT that facilitate effective IT penetration to rural India, changing pattern of information requirements & role of IT, type of systems required in the post-WTO environment, the bottlenecks in e-powering rural India along with possible solutions are examined.
* * *
Information Technology and its Components
Induction of IT as a strategic tool for agricultural development and welfare of rural India requires that the necessary IT infrastructure is in place. The rapid changes and downward trend in prices in various components of IT makes it feasible to target at a large scale
IT penetration into rural India. Some of the broad factors to be noted with respect to various components of IT are listed below :
1. Input devices : Radical improvements are witnessed with respect to the means of communication by human beings with computers such as key boards, mouse devices,