By

J P S Ahuja* and Dr. M R Rawtani**

*J P S Ahuja, Manager ( Library) NABARD Staff College, Sector-H LDA Colony, Kanpur Road, Lucknow-226012

**Dr. M R Rawtani, Associate Professor, Deptt. Of Library and Information Science, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur-302304

The article describes the concept of Rural Development and the role of information in the over all development of the Rural populace. The paper attempts to explore the information needs of rural development practitioners and lists the sources of information brought out by various organizations engaged in the task of Rural Development. Various E-governance initiatives of State Governments, National Informatics Centre for making day-to-day information available to rural masses is explained in detail. The article emphasized the need for an Internet based information storage and retrieval system for rural development Web addresses of some of the organizations engaged in rural development are also provided.

The term Rural Development is a subset of the broader term ‘Development’. Development is a subjective and value based term and hence there cannot be a consensus as to its meaning. At best, development in the context of society could be conceptualized as a set of desirable societal objectives which society seeks to achieve. The term ‘rural development’ connotes overall development of rural areas within a view to improve the quality of life of rural people(1). In this sense, it is a comprehensive and multidimensional concept, and encompasses the development of agriculture and allied activities, village and cottage industries and crafts, socio-economic infrastructure, community services and facilities, and, above all, the human resources in rural areas. As a phenomenon rural development is the end-result of interactions between various physical, technological, economic, socio-cultural and institutional factors. As a strategy, it is designed to improve the economic and social well being of a specific group of people- the rural poor. As a discipline, it is a multi-disciplinary in nature, representing an intersection of agricultural, social, behavioral, engineering, and management sciences.

In the words of Robert Chambers: "Rural Development is a strategy to enable a specific group of people, poor rural women and men, to gain for themselves and their children more of what they want and need. It involves helping the poorest among those who seek a livelihood in the rural areas to demand and control more of the benefits of rural development. The group includes small scale farmers, tenants and the landless." (2).

Thus, the term rural development may be used to imply any of the above-mentioned connotations, we shall define rural development as a process leading to sustainable improvement in the quality, of life of rural people, especially the poor.

The World Bank in one of the Discussion papers ( 1996) has emphasized that information is an important production factor along with land,labour,capital and energy. Timely access to information is crucial for development. (3).

The impact of information poverty hinders the economic development as Government agencies working at the field level lack access to policies and programmes of the Central and State Governments. Even the ultimate beneficiary does not know what the planners sitting in capital cities are doing for them. Thus building a Grassroots level Information Storage and Retrieval system for economic development is crucial for the success of any Government Policy.

A large number of organizations in Government and Non-government sectors are engaged in the gigantic task of rural development. The information needs and the information generated by them differs from organization to organization.

The government has been, still is, and will continue in the near future to be an important organization in the field of agricultural and rural development in developing countries, including India. The main functions of governmental organizations/institutions can be seen at the following six levels:

1.Facilitating policy formulation

2.Harmonising the actions of various economic agents and coordinating programme implementation.

3.Providing incentives for collective action and self-regulation.

4.Enforcing regulation and policing

5.Resolving conflicts and providing arbitration

6. Providing technical assistance.

The empowerment of local governments by the passing of 73^rd amendment by the parliament resulted in PRIs emerge as more strong/dynamic to face serious challenges and problems that still lie ahead of them. The panchayats can function in a better way, if they have access to important policy instructions, current government schemes and programmes, activities of NGOs functioning in their area, their financial powers, expenditure to made under various budget-heads, development plans etc.

They occupy an important place in India’s rural economy, in terms of their coverage of population and their share in the total supply of agricultural inputs, including credit. India can rightly claim to have the largest network of cooperatives in the world. In India, there are 3.95 lakhs cooperatives, having a total membership of some 1896 lakh and working capital of Rs.118,6999 crore. IFFCO, KRIBCHCO, the giant cooperative sector fertilizer plants produce 27.1 percent of the fertilizers produced in the country.

NGOs/VAs play a vital role in Rural Development. They can enthuse the rural population to prepare meaningful plans for rural development, as also to take part in their implementation. At the national level, the council for Advancement of People’s action and Rural Technology (CAPART) is the nodal agency responsible for promoting voluntary action in Rural Development.

 Private sector and Rural Development

Business houses like Tatas, Godrej, Hindustan Lever, Escorts, Lupin, IPCL, Usha Martin, Excel and Arvind Mills have established their own trusts to take up agricultural and rural development work in selected rural areas.

The capital requirements of agricultural and rural development are tremendous. Capital is required not only for on-farm investment to improve the production apparatus and to provide various farm inputs and services, but also for a vast array of supportive infrastructural facilities. Funds for investment in rural development projects come from two main sources: domestic and foreign. Further in each category, there are institutional and non-institutional sources (4).

 INFORMATION NEEDS OF THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PRACTIONERS

As discussed above, there are a number of agencies involved the task of Agriculture and Rural Development in India. The Information requirements and the information products generated by these agencies are also much varied.(5)

For example, the Financial Institutions responsible for credit dispensation in rural areas need information on :

• Resources: Manpower resources, production of rural artisans, general occupation of rural people and distribution of income levels. Agricultural Resources such as cultivable land, dryland, forest area, forest resources, industries based on agricultural resources. Water, electricity etc.
• Management information: Marketing, Marketyards rural haats, mandis, communication, training etc.
• Regulatory Information: Reserved items list, local prevalent laws pertaining to rural industries, banned items, taxes, tarriffs, incentives, subsidies, scarce raw materials, export import policy regulations, agriculture and industrial policies.
• Technological information: Appropriate technologies relevant for rural areas, rural technology, agricultural implements, non-conventional energy sources, processes, specifications, standards, parents.
• Information relating to Credit: Financial assistance extended by competitors say other financial institutions, Terms and conditions for advance limit of the amount to be sanctioned, repayment period, insurance cover and new changes regarding refinancing policies for various loan/refinance products formulated at H.O. level. And making the ultimate beneficiary aware of these policies.

Since independence, a large number of Government Institutions and autonomous organizations have been created and assigned different functions for execution of different programmes. These institutions continuously generate information.

The Financial information is generated by Reserve Bank of India, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Industrial Development Bank of India, Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India, State Financial Corporations and Commercial Banks.This type of information is available in a variety of documents such as :

• Circulars on agriculture, rural development and small industry
• District Credit plans
• Evaluation reports on different projects related to rural development.
• Policy guidelines
• Monthly progress reports
• Schemes, feasibility reports and statistical statements
• Statistical Data on Banking Industry and Economy

Industry related information could be accessed through the publications of

• National Small Industry Corporation
• Small Industry Development Organization
• Small Industry Service Institutions
• Directorate of Industries
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission and
• Developmental and Consultancy Organizations

Research Information can be accessed through the publications of

• Indian Council of Agricultural research and its various research laboratories situated all over India
• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
• National Institute of Rural Development

A large number of International agencies bring out enormous literature related to rural development. To name a few, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Bank, International Development and Research Centre, UNESCO and UNIDO., Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux and Centre for Integrated Rural Development for Asia and Pacific. Etc.

The best thing that has happened as a result of e-governance initiatives across different states, is firstly, the consolidation of information into a large number of databases that has been updated, computerized and put into use by rural masses for their daily needs.. Access to information 'anywhere, anytime', both for the administration and the citizens, has been the biggest achievement in a short period of time by the governments. Better still, the computerization process has brought in more accuracy and authenticity in the processes, and in some places have even eliminated room for corruption or fraudulent practices that had been prevalent in the system.

Various kinds of E-governance projects/ information networks are already available on which activities of various organizations engaged in rural development can be hosted, readily accessed and shared (6). A description of these state government Projects and networks for rural development, are given below:

• APSWAN: Network for Voice, data and Video Communication throughout Andhra Pradesh. Operational with 2Mbps fiber Optic links connecting the State Secretariat with 25 centers.
• Card Project: Manual system of registering and preserving documents of immovable Property transactions replaced by simple and transparent system.
• Multipurpose Household Survey Project: World Bank aided project. Basic socio-economic data of all residents of the state and a database of land records.
• Fully automated services of transport: Provide services like issuance of learner's license, driving licenses and registration of vehicles through a comprehensive, networked solution.
• Andhra Pradesh development monitoring system: This project has been developed by the planning department and combines a sophisticated geographical information system with data from remote sensing satellites. The system, which was launched early this year, has created base maps of 1,122 'mandals', the constituent revenue villages and habitations together with a suite of thematic data on road network, the community infrastructure, basic demographic data, soil and geomorphologic data.

• Smart Card Project : 22 Regional Transport Offices of Gujarat equipped with state-of-the-art driving license environment and issuance centres. It is perceived as the word's largest smart card based driving license project with biometrics. Each Centre has integrated facilities for online capture of individual photographs, signatures and fingerprints along with other identification details. The fingerprints are interpreted for key features extracted and stored for identification purposes.
• State wide WAN : To connect the various office complexes of the Government of Gujarat.
• Disaster Management System: To maintain communications during natural disasters.

• Computerization of the Education Department: The education department with technical assistance from NIC established a computer center at the office of the Commissioner of Public Instruction to speed up work, automate routine jobs along with eliminating delay in related work and spread computer awareness.
• Computerization of Treasuries: With an investment of over Rs. 30 crores, Karnataka's Department of Treasuries has been computerized. This process comprises installations of around 250 VSATs all over the state to capture every single transaction accounting for over Rs. 20,000 crores at all 31 district treasuries and 184 'taluk' treasuries. The accounts will be updated instantly thus providing a comprehensive MIS support to the Government and transparency of transactions involving public money.
• VIDUTNET for Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd : India's first VSAT based communication network-Vidutnet- to support real time data applications for power generation and distribution to be commissioned in KPTCL. The network is also used for voice and fax communication.

• Kerala RD NET : All of 152 office blocks were networked offering enhanced connectivity. Also regular news on the various activities undertaken in the state is now available. It was commissioned with the help of NIC. Connectivity was established through NICNET.
• Kudumbasree : The program for state poverty eradication, computer centres have been established under the Development of Women and Children in Urban Areas (DWCUA) component.
• Government Automation project : Digitizes huge volumes of back data lying with the departments and ported to the automated systems. This process will create employment opportunities in data entry.
• CARD: Eliminates the maladies affecting the system of registration through electronic delivery of all registration services. The project is proposed to be implemented in 14 sub registrar offices covering 14 districts of the state in the first phase.

• Maharashtra State Excise Application Software Project: Started with providing software development and basic awareness to approximately 1000 employees. Provides specific information to Govt. Departments related to excise and revenue administration.
• Stamps and Registration Project : The Government is investing an amount of Rs. 10 crore for developing a software system for managing the Stamps and Registration Department which caters to the registration and stamp duty revenue administration. When the systems are in place, documents would be registered within an hour and the original copy of the document would be handed over to the recipient, which is not the case at present. This is expected to eliminate the chances of favoritism and bring in more transparency.
• Connectivity project: Connecting around 3000 offices through a VSAT network. Every typewriter in Mantralya replaced with computers.

• RAJ-SWIFT: Statewide Intranet on fast track. The system uses Internet technology and tools to facilitate online data, text and e-mail communication between the office of the chief minister and all the 32 district collectors on a one-to-one basis.
• RAJNIDHI INFORMATION KIOSK PROJECT: This is a web-enabled information kiosk system designed and developed by Department. Of Information Technology, Govt. of Rajasthan. From these information kiosks, citizens would be able to access information related to health, family planning, immunization schedules for children, employment, transportation, distance education, agriculture, water and electricity connection, birth and death registration, approved housing societies, rates of land and building taxes.
• Chief Minister's Information System : For the Chief Minister to use and monitor the key activities of the various government departments.
• Computerization of District Collectorate : Computerization of grievances and court cases tracking. It includes monitoring of court cases, financial accounting, arms licencse, small savings monitoring, famine and flood relief system of various offices like SDO, District Rural Development Agency, Treasury etc.
• Vikas Darpan : A GIS based planning and decision support system facilitates resource-based decentralized planning through comprehensive databases of 40,000 villages, 237 panchayat samitis and 219 tehsils based on about 200 demographic and socio-economic indicators

In order to enhance the marketability of the produce of the rural artisans , RuralBazar, a web based software product from NIC, MIT, GOI, based on the stated framework addressing the problem, is then introduced. The IT based solution, for rural artisans, has also been recommended by Working Group on Information Technology for Masses setup by Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India.(http://itformasses.nic.in/vsitformasses/repg3 htm#1 ) . The further details of product and processes are given in http://crisp.nic.in/ruralbazar.

 REFERENCES

1. Katar Singh, (1986), Rural Development: Principles, Policies and Management.
2. Chambers, Robert, (1995), Issues in Rural Development.
3. World Bank (1996), Harnessing Information for Development : A proposal for a World Bank Group Strategy, World Bank Discussion Paper, 313, 40 p.
4. Credit Structure for Rural Development,1998, NABARD Annual report.
5. Bank Libraries in Encyclopaedia of Library and Information Science, (2001) Edited by Dr. P.S.G Kumar.
6. E Governance Initiatives of State Governments (Jan 2000), Dataquest.
7. Neelameghan, A. Information Support for Socio-Economic Development Planning: General overview : Part I, Library Science with a slant to Documentation and Information Studies, 33(3),September,1996,Pp 101-125.