by R.K. Khitoliya and Nitin Tanwar, Department of Civil Engineering, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, India
E-governance has been considered as an ideal tool to speed up the development process by developing countries all over the world, especially in the case of isolated rural communities. However, e-governance has not yet been effectively implemented in these communities because of various economic, social, and geographical reasons. This paper first identifies the major problems facing the isolated rural communities and the problems that e-governance has the potential to solve. The various operational and infrastructure problems associated with implementing e-governance are then discussed, along with possible solutions. Innovative ideas like the use of off-grid energy sources to power the computer set-up and transponders mounted on buses to provide connectivity are extensively discussed. The paper is an attempt to match the needs of isolated areas, e-governance potential for these areas, and infrastructure needed to develop the isolated rural areas. This is not a research paper. The paper shares some real-life experiences and possible solution-based ideas.
1. Introduction
E-governance has been considered as an ideal tool to speed up the development process in developing countries all over the world. It is considered to be effective in dealing with problems such as corruption and bureaucracy that are traditionally associated with developing countries. The promise of improved standards of living is the driving force behind the various e-governance initiatives being launched by these countries. The reach of e-governance initiatives in these countries, however, varies greatly. Various factors influence the choice of implementing e-governance. These may be economic, social, or geographical. This often leads to the phenomenon of a “digital divide.†In no case is the digital divide greater than in the case of isolated rural villages. In fact, the digital divide might be better referred to as the “e-gap†because these isolated villages have been left out altogether in the electronic revolution. Considering the intensity of the problem, the term e-gap is better suited than digital divide.
It would be wise to analyze the e-gap between isolated rural communities and other rural/urban communities so that effective steps can be taken to speed up the development process of these communities.
2. What are isolated rural communities?
Before we go any further, it would be wise to examine some features of an isolated rural community (these are broad generalizations rather than particular characteristics).
a. Lack of transport connections. Such communities are not usually well connected by road. In extreme cases like villages in mountains, no road may exist, leaving them accessible only by foot. Moreover, the frequency of vehicular movement on nearby roads, if they exist, is extremely low.
b. Communication facilities inadequate. In many cases, there is no means of communicating except for the physical visit of messengers to such a location. (With the advances in mobile technology, however, this is quickly changing.)
c. Energy supply non-existent or highly erratic. Many isolated communities have no power supply. Generally, batteries or generators are used as a source of off-grid power.
d. People culturally/ethnically different. In mountainous areas, a particular community with very distinct cultures can be found.
e. Weak economic situation. Per capita income is usually low in such communities.
The above features constitute the major problems facing rural communities. These major problems give rise to many minor problems, and it is these minor problems that e-governance has the potential to solve. These problems are discussed in the next section.
3. Potential of e-governance in isolated rural communities
The problems that the implementation of e-governance can help solve for isolated rural communities are:
a. Problem of agriculture-related information. [1] Despite the penetration of private enterprises into most rural markets, the isolated rural villages have usually been left out. The main reason for this is that these communities are sparsely populated. Investment made into taking products to such places may be very high and the subsequent returns very low. It is therefore not feasible for the private sector to become active in these areas. It is, however, the social responsibility of the government to reach out to these people. The government must provide information to farmers on such things as soil conditions, viability of growing certain crops, suitable fertilizers, and prices of crops at the nearest markets.
b. Problem of lack of information on government policies and services. [2] The government often launches schemes for rural areas. These may be general schemes or special schemes launched at the time of crises (such as droughts) to provide relief to the affected people. More often than not, isolated communities are not aware of these schemes launched especially for them, rendering these schemes useless. Another government policy application can be in the field of handicrafts. Isolated communities are often makers of handicrafts. The government can help in marketing these handicrafts, which are in high demand in the international market using the Internet.
c. Problem of low education level. [3] Isolated areas generally have low literacy rates, as schools are far away or have inadequate infrastructure. As one of the major benefits of information and communication technologies is e-learning, appropriate measures in this direction would be a major step.
d. Problem of limited health services. Government dispensaries and hospitals are located far from these communities. Even if a dispensary is nearby it is an isolated one and lacks infrastructure. Many times doctors are not willing to work in such far-off places. The effect of e-governance on public health services has been revolutionary. It can be a major benefit for isolated communities.
4. Services that must be provided
To solve the above problems, the government should create a Web site that acts as a one-stop solution to the above problems. The various aspects of this Web site would be:
a. On agriculture, there would have to be integration of services from the meteorological department, geological department (in the case of India, the Geological Survey of India), agriculture universities, and agribusinesses. [4]
b. On government policies and schemes, the usual sites the government maintains will be sufficient.
c. On education, e-learning would be managed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Because of the lack of experience in this field with respect to rural communities, it is advisable to seek the help of private partners in this field. [5]
d. On health services, the concept of offering such services via the Internet has been successfully implemented around the world. Replication with modifications suited to local needs is the key here.
5. Operational and infrastructural problems
Like many things, achieving the above is easier said than done. The physical infrastructure and its operation is a major hurdle. To fill the “e-gap,†the operational problems that exist on the ground will first have to be solved. Some of these problems are the need for
* Technically trained manpower for operating the computer;
* Energy (electricity) for operating the set-up; and
* Connectivity for Internet/intranet access.
6. Solving the infrastructural problems
Possible solutions to the above problems include the following:
a. The problem of technical manpower. Because of the low literacy level of isolated areas, it will be difficult to find qualified people for operating the system. To solve this problem, we may consider two approaches:
* Regular-presence approach: As the name suggests, the person handling the operations will be permanently stationed at the set-up. Initially this person might be from outside the community. He or she will help the people to access the information they may require. At the same time, he or she will train a local person on the use of the set-up so that ultimately the whole operation is handled by a person from the community itself.
* Weekly-visit approach: As the name suggests, the outside person will visit the set-up at a predetermined frequency. It may vary from once to thrice a week. The training of a local person will also take place during the visit.
The regular-presence approach may be adopted in communities that have a larger population, relative ease of access, and the prospect of great financial returns. The same factors will determine the frequency of visit in the weekly-visit approach.
Whatever method is adopted, the technology used must be simple to operate. For example, instead of accessing information through keyboard or mouse, a system of inserting coloured balls into the machine can be used. Each colour will have a link to a particular type of information. Red, for instance, may denote weather conditions, and blue the prices at the nearest markets. In addition, the readable data may be converted by a voice-producing device that reads out in the local language. The aim is to make the usage as simple and easy to learn as possible.
b. The energy (electricity) problem. Without an adequate amount of energy, any e-governance initiative cannot even be considered. Electricity is the prime requirement to run computers. If a case the village is connected to the grid, the charging of batteries is preferable. When the electricity fails due to disruption, damage in the transmission line or there is low voltage, batteries can be used. If there is no electricity supply (i.e., if the village is off-grid) non-conventional means of power will have to be used [6] (Figure 1). A personal computer typically requires 125 W to run. Along with this, a printer requires 250 W. The total amount of energy required for a single machine is therefore about 375 W. This could be easily provided be a solar photovoltaic cell. An assembly of these cells would charge a battery, which in turn would run the computer set-up.
Another option is the installation of a water mill, especially in hilly areas. Water mills have long been used in isolated to grind flour. The concept is similar to that of small hydro generator, but on a smaller scale. Yet another source can be wind power. This may be suitable on plains, but its installation in hilly areas is difficult. The costs, however — both economic and environmental — could be high. In regions that have available firewood and other biomass, technologies such as gasifiers that can be employed for electricity generation may be well-suited.
c. The connectivity problem. Appropriate bandwidth is one of the major requirements for the efficient operation of an Internet facility. Due to advances in telecommunication and satellite technology, connection can be made from anywhere. The cost of installing such a set-up, however, could be significant and therefore unfeasible for a small village. To overcome this problem, it is better to try innovative approaches like “transponders on wheels†(Figure 2). This technique involves placing a transponder on a bus. The bus travels to the isolated villages once or twice in a day, or passes near the area without necessarily going into the village. The village is not in the direct coverage of the nearest transmission tower, but the transponder on the bus does come in range of the tower for some time each day. When the bus is at a particular zone, the transponder receives the signal from the tower and it sends this signal farther up to a fixed range. The rural village is now able to receive signals form the transponder. This method can be used not only to provide connectivity, but also to improve the quality of the signal the village receives. Another advantage of this approach is that it can reduce installation costs, because many villages can share a common receiver.
In mountainous regions in India, the military is often deployed close to isolated rural communities. The unit may be using some communication technique to communicate with its far-off headquarters. Modification of such a facility to provide basic e-governance services to the local communities is a workable and cost-effective solution. [7]
In the isolated part of the Indian state of Sikkim, the army battalion is operating a “computerized reservation center†with the help of the railways. The center helps in making rail reservations for the large number of army personnel deployed in the region. The modification of this facility, which has good connectivity to serve as a local e-governance center, will help to save the extra costs that would be incurred in setting up a completely new facility.
7. Additional benefits
Besides solving the problems and difficulties mentioned in the previous section, there are certain other social benefits from e-governance reaching isolated rural communities.
a. Increased productivity. With the farmers in isolated villages receiving the latest information on modern agriculture techniques, seeds, growing patterns, and, more importantly, the markets for the produce, we can expect a total revolution in the production patterns and income of these people. The whole system of production and subsequent income will become more sustainable in the long run.
b. Social integration. One of the major consequences of the isolation of many regions is the social segregation. Although this is not intentional, it is a direct result of isolation. These communities are not able to integrate with others, which often leads to extremism and demands for greater autonomy or independence. It is thus a major problem. With e-governance reaching out to the isolated communities, they will for the first time be in direct contact with the government, especially the central government. This will lead to integration of the isolated communities with the national mainstream. Moreover, the whole process of setting up the physical infrastructure — i.e., the computer, communications, and energy production — will make the people feel more integrated.
8. Recommendations and conclusions
Further work on the ideas suggested in this paper will provide insight into the process and dynamics of transforming highly-deprived isolated rural communities, with e-governance interventions being one among many. While the potential of e-governance to foster rural development and empowerment is often taken for granted, much more research is required to recalibrate the level of effort and the nature of benefits that accrue from e-governance-enabled interventions. The time to undertake such processes is now, when we are still at an evolving stage of e-governance, to avoid the great effort and costs that would have to be incurred at later stages.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Indian Army for providing valuable help and guidance in visiting and studying the isolated Himalayan mountainous villages of East Sikkim, Sikkim, India.
Footnotes
[1] Shivraj Kanungo, “Research Directions for Studying ICT Interventions in Poor and Rural Areas in Developing Countries,†in Towards e-Government Management Challenges, Tata McGraw-Hill, Delhi, 2004, pp. 155-164.
[2] Shekhar Dasgupta (Oracle India), “E-Government and Economy,†International Conference on E-governance (keynote speaker), Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi, December 2003.
[3] Shivraj Kanungo, “Research Directions for Studying ICT Interventions in Poor and Rural Areas in Developing Countries,†in Towards e-Government Management Challenges, Tata McGraw-Hill, Delhi, 2004, pp. 155-164.
[4] Ashok Jhunjhunwala, “Enabling Rural India with ICT Initiatives,†International Conference on E-governance (invited talk), Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi, December 2003.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Petra Schweizer-Ries, “Decentralized Energy Use in Mountain Regions,†Journal for Mountain Research and Development, 21:1, pp. 25-29.
[7] Nitin Tanwer and Deepshikha Sharma, “E-Governance: Evolving the End Users,†Proceedings of the International Conference on E-Governance, Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi, December 2003, pp. 10-14.
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