Singh, Part 2
Discussion
The discussion is based on information collected from various documentary sources, reports, and e–resources available to highlight the efforts made by the country towards bridging the gap between the “haves” and “have–nots” in remote and rural areas of the country. The discussion is based on the following relevant parameters:
- Growth and development of the information society.
- Initiatives, opportunities and prospects made towards bridging the digital divide.
- The role of community information centres, government programmes, libraries and institutions.
- Challenges and barriers to bridging the digital divide.
1. Growth and Development of the Information Society
Information and communication technology has given rise to many benefits in our society. Tools like television, radio and the much talked about Internet have always given direction to change. The application of IT in various fields and Internet technology has been able to influence larger sections of society since its development.
Technological change is the major contributor to the growth and development of the information society; e–learning, e–libraries, e–health, e–governance, etc. have become pillars of the information society. Realising these developments, a world summit was organised by the United Nations in 2003 in Geneva, under its General Secretary, Kofi Annan. The goal of the summit was to develop a common vision and understanding of the information society and to draw up a strategic plan of action for concerted development towards realising this vision [1]. Access to information in society is not uniform and globally there has always been a gap between those people and communities who can make effective use of IT and those who cannot, leading to a kind of digital divide which is the major concern for the governments of developing countries.
In India the use of IT and computerisation began in 1978. In 1985 the government of India decided to increase the pace of IT use at the district level. The National Information Centre (NIC), a central government organisation, was chosen to implement a national programme called “DISNIC,” Information System of NIC, to computerise all district offices. Commissioning nearly 500 computer centres to a country–wide network, and connecting these computers, was a major achievement [2]. With the rapid progress of the IT industry, there have been in some places in India remarkable social changes. Earlier, people were reluctant to plunge into information and communication technology and thought IT would take away people’s jobs. But today a complete change in people’s mindset is apparent. Many state governments are giving a boost to the IT sector. States like Andhra Pradesh in Hydrabad, Maharastra in Pune, Karnataka in Banglore, etc. have developed cyber–cities.
The government of India has declared IT as one of the trust areas for the country’s development and has recognised it as an “essential service.” It has proposed many mega–projects which include telemedicine, distance education to boost adult education in rural areas, setting up information kiosks, etc. Foreign investors are also venturing into India for big investments in the IT sector. Today, Fortune 500 multinational corporations have their offices in India, bringing not only a good multicultural business environment but also better services and products. It is expected that IT is going to capture close to eight percent of the country’s gross domestic product in 2008. The software professionals contribute to more than one quarter of the country’s total export earning [3]. The fast developments that have taken place due to technological changes have also propelled a great divide of the information haves and have–nots in the country. The unequal access to information has posed challenges to the government to take appropriate steps to bridge the gap. Some of the efforts made by the government and the non–governmental organisations to bridge the digital divide in the country will be discussed.