The finding of an IMRB survey that internet penetration in rural India is set to double this year is welcome. The digital divide between rural and urban India is one of the main bottlenecks to equitable growth.
The total number of active rural internet users is projected to touch 24 million, an increase of 98% over last year.
The quantum leap can be attributed to increasing awareness, greater accessibility and the maturing of initiatives such as the government's National e-Governance Plan that has led to the mushrooming of 90,000 rural IT kiosks across the country.
Private sector projects such as ITC's e-Choupal and Google's Internet Bus have done a commendable job in educating the uninitiated about the benefits of the internet. For empowering people it is imperative that the information super highway reaches every corner of India.
Access to the internet could transform the rural economy. It would enable farmers to keep themselves updated about latest farming techniques, weather forecasts and the trading prices of various crops.
Villagers could access information related to welfare schemes, education and work opportunities in the cities. E-governance could streamline the delivery of government services at the grassroots. Leveraging mobile telephony, access to which is expanding rapidly, to deliver IT services is a good idea.
Thanks to inexpensive mobile handsets, a small investment is all it takes to access the internet. Combined with the unique identification project, mobile phones can be transformed into powerful tools for rural banking and a plethora of financial services. Organised retail could increase its footprint. With benefits galore, internet access in rural areas needs to be a fundamental entitlement
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