The Hindu Business Line : `IT can be catalyst for rural growth'

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Pune Feb 5 Technology is the same, whether you use it in towns or rural areas. There is no such thing as separate rural technology. In the management of technology you might need different techniques and perspective.

This is what the National Workshop on ICT for Rural Financial Services has to put across. In his inaugural address, Mr V. Leeladhar, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, said that one of the challenges facing India is the need to matching urban development with rural development.

He said that the role played by rural credit in the process of development has also been significant.

"However, given the need for large-scale rural sector development to address issues of unemployment and balanced growth, credit delivery has assumed critical importance. It is also important to ensure that savings are channelised through organised financial sector, in particular banks."

He added that IT in banking was vital for sustained progress in financial intermediation and efficient payment system.

According to him, there were many other IT tools that need to be introduced to act as catalysts in the process of transformation.

They could be used for credit facilities at different locations, personal identification and monitoring credit usage by small farmers. They could also find use for availing of facilities such as subsidised seeds, fertilisers and medical facilities and in co-operative functions.

The data from these could form a repository of information that would be more specific and provide information for quick strategy formulation by the Government.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof P.V. Indiresan, former head of IIT, Chennai said that technology could be useful to rural people if it could be slightly changed in general.

For example, instead of 16-digit credit cards, smart cards that use fingerprint as the only identification would be of greater use to the rural people.

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