MISSION : 2007
"While the 'green-revolution' helped to improve the productivity and production of rice,wheat and other crops, the 'knowledge-revolution' will help to enhance human productivity and entrepreneurship."
-Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, Man behind 'Green-Revolution' in India
At the recently concluded World Summit of the Information Society,Tunis,a program titled"Connect the World by 2015" was launched. The aim is to ensure the benefits of the digital revolution reach every country and every part of each country by the year 2015 - the benchmark year for achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals.
At the Tunis Summit, International Telecommunication Union recognised India's "Mission 2007:Every Village a Knowledge Centre" as the flagship of the "Connect the World" movement.
"Mission 2007" aims to provide knowledge connectivity to every village of India by August 15,2007, which marks the 60th anniversary of what Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru called "India's tryst with Destiny".
A national alliance was formed in 2003 and currently includes 22 government organizations including the Dept. of Information Technology, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, TRAI, BSNL, 94 civil society organizations and 34 private sector information and communication technology (ICT) leaders such as NASSCOM, TCS, HCL and Microsoft.
Besides, 18 academic institutions like IIT and IGNOU and 10 financial institutions such as NABARD and SBI are also involved. In addition, an international support group has been formed to provide technical and financial support to Mission 2007.
Following the launch of Mission 2007 over two years ago as well as the recommendations of the National Commission on Farmers that VKC :Village Knowledge Centres should be established as soon as possible for the knowledge and skill empowerment of rural families, some development has been taken place that give hope that the urban-rural digital divide can be substantially lowered by August 15,2007. These include -
- The decision to establish 1 lakh ICT-based community service centres by August 15,2007, by the Dept. of Information Technology, Govt. of India.
- Setting up village resource centres at the block level by the ISRO in collaboration with appropriate public and civil society institutions to provide a wide range of services including tele-confercing facilities.
- The decision of Ministry of Panchayati Raj to establish Internet connected ICT centres in all the 2,40,000 Panchayats and local bodies in the country by August 15,2007. This wiil help to provide a public space for VKCs,cjaracterised by access for all sections of rural society.
- The rural information society of BSNL will aim to set up 1 lakh VKCs each covering a population of 2,000 or more.
- Support by NABARD through the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund t oState Governments to organise ICT self-help groups to establish and manage VKCs.
- Promotion of e-governance as a key component of t he National Common Minimum Programme and the proposal to include knowledge connectivity as an essential component of the "Bharat Nirman Program"
- Setting up of Public Tele Information Centres (PTICs) through the Universal Service Obligation Fund.
- Inclusion of e-health facilities under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Enactment of Right to Information Act (2005).
What is important is to ensure that all such initiatives designed to help rural and tribal families are pro-poor, pro-women and pro-livelihood in both design and implementation.
-Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, Man behind 'Green-Revolution' in India
At the recently concluded World Summit of the Information Society,Tunis,a program titled"Connect the World by 2015" was launched. The aim is to ensure the benefits of the digital revolution reach every country and every part of each country by the year 2015 - the benchmark year for achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals.
At the Tunis Summit, International Telecommunication Union recognised India's "Mission 2007:Every Village a Knowledge Centre" as the flagship of the "Connect the World" movement.
"Mission 2007" aims to provide knowledge connectivity to every village of India by August 15,2007, which marks the 60th anniversary of what Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru called "India's tryst with Destiny".
A national alliance was formed in 2003 and currently includes 22 government organizations including the Dept. of Information Technology, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, TRAI, BSNL, 94 civil society organizations and 34 private sector information and communication technology (ICT) leaders such as NASSCOM, TCS, HCL and Microsoft.
Besides, 18 academic institutions like IIT and IGNOU and 10 financial institutions such as NABARD and SBI are also involved. In addition, an international support group has been formed to provide technical and financial support to Mission 2007.
Following the launch of Mission 2007 over two years ago as well as the recommendations of the National Commission on Farmers that VKC :Village Knowledge Centres should be established as soon as possible for the knowledge and skill empowerment of rural families, some development has been taken place that give hope that the urban-rural digital divide can be substantially lowered by August 15,2007. These include -
- The decision to establish 1 lakh ICT-based community service centres by August 15,2007, by the Dept. of Information Technology, Govt. of India.
- Setting up village resource centres at the block level by the ISRO in collaboration with appropriate public and civil society institutions to provide a wide range of services including tele-confercing facilities.
- The decision of Ministry of Panchayati Raj to establish Internet connected ICT centres in all the 2,40,000 Panchayats and local bodies in the country by August 15,2007. This wiil help to provide a public space for VKCs,cjaracterised by access for all sections of rural society.
- The rural information society of BSNL will aim to set up 1 lakh VKCs each covering a population of 2,000 or more.
- Support by NABARD through the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund t oState Governments to organise ICT self-help groups to establish and manage VKCs.
- Promotion of e-governance as a key component of t he National Common Minimum Programme and the proposal to include knowledge connectivity as an essential component of the "Bharat Nirman Program"
- Setting up of Public Tele Information Centres (PTICs) through the Universal Service Obligation Fund.
- Inclusion of e-health facilities under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Enactment of Right to Information Act (2005).
What is important is to ensure that all such initiatives designed to help rural and tribal families are pro-poor, pro-women and pro-livelihood in both design and implementation.
posted by Prince at 6:42 PM
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