The National Alliance is
wedded to the philosophy
of divergent approaches
but converged goals. The
Alliance Partners would
like to see a perceptible
improvement in the income,
work and health security
of rural families as a result
of the Gyan Chaupals (Village
Knowledge Centers). The
Village Resource Centers
being established by the
Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) at the block level
enlarge the technological
opportunities available
to rural families in areas
like health care, natural
resources management and
disaster management. Together
with CSCs, they can help
in transforming rural India’s
computing and communication
capability on a large scale.
CSCs, VRCs and VKCs offer
a platform for service providers
for undertaking need-based
and demand-driven knowledge
connectivity. A shining
urban but suffering rural
India will be socially and
politically disastrous.
There is therefore an urgent
need for strengthening public-private-people
partnerships on a win-win
mode for all concerned.
CSCs, VRCs and VKCs can
facilitate the implementation
of the Financial Inclusion
strategy of commercial banks
and financial institutions.
They can also provide a
Market for Corporate Social
Responsibility. CSCs, VRCs
and VKCs can play a major
role in reducing the transaction
costs and non-performing
asset rates of rural credit
through ICT supported credit
and extension initiatives
by the banks and corporate
sectors. Government should
provide the policy framework
and back-end infrastructure,
such as electricity or other
sources of power in villages.
Regulatory policies conducive
to organized progress should
also be put in place. The
partnerships should result
in socially sustainable
and financially viable models
of rural digital empowerment.
The State Wide Network (SWAN)
should go to villages. Gram
Sabhas should be fully involved
in providing policy oversight
at the village level. At
least one woman and one
male member of every gram
panchayat should be trained as Knowledge Managers. They
could become fellows of
the NVA, so that about 500,
000 trained knowledge managers
are available as soon as
possible. Such a process
will help to reduce the
transaction costs of development
delivery systems. Government
shall endeavor to translate
its commitment to overlay
knowledge connectivity over
rural physical connectivity
as stated in its Bharat
Nirman Programme by creating
a Rural Knowledge Coordination
Committee and Rural Knowledge
Fund. Village Knowledge
Centres are the facilitating
centres for community based
knowledge management. The
convention categorically
emphasized that such a process
is vital for converting
growth into human development.
The Fellows of National
Virtual Academy could play
a major role in facilitating
community based knowledge
management. The convention
further stressed the need
for transforming service
centres and other telecentres
into knowledge centres.
VKCs, CSCs and VRCs can
also play a major role
in promoting Technology
Mediated Open and Distance
Learning (Tech MODE) and
can be linked to many
Open and Distance Education
Universities such as IGNOU.
ICT can also help in enlarging
the canvass for self-directed
personalstrategic learning
among rural community
and strengthen the horizontal
transfer of knowledge
in addition to the vertical
integration.
The convention called
for sensitizing various
types of policy makers
regarding the role of
VKCs and VRCs in strengthening
the development process.
On August 15, 2007, which
marked the 60th anniversary
of India’s independence,
Mission 2007 graduated
into Grameen Gyan Abhiyan,
meaning Rural Knowledge
Movement of the National
Alliance partners. The
aim of the Grameen Gyan
Abhiyan is to cover all
the 240,000 panchayats
in the country with Gyan
Chaupals and Village Resource
Centers by the year 2010.
In this task, the National
Alliance welcomes and
appreciates the assistance
extended by international
partners both in the public
and private sectors. The
help extended by IDRC,
Canada and SDC of Switzerland
has been extremely valuable.
The assistance of Microsoft
and other International
business leaders in ICT
innovations and applications
has also been invaluable.
The National Alliance
hopes that more international
partners will join the
Alliance, so that a Global
coalition of all concerned
and committed to taking
the benefits of ICT to
villages in a socially
meaningful manner can
be proved, as envisaged
under Goal 8 of the UN
Millennium Development
goals.
