NEED FOR NEW THINKING ON RURAL AREA

Today,a large no of voluntary organization are involved in developing technologies for rural areas.Hardly some of people aware the new technologies. Many of peoples not aware of new technology in rural areas.and in some of rural areas developed IT Chaupaal this is a new modernization for rural sector. Rural market potential shows that a population of about 250 million in rural areas exhibits a high level of market potential.This is almost 25% to 30% total population of India. With such a high market potential, good efforts of organizations developing technologies, devices and products for rural areas.

Present situation

1.) Almost 70% to 80% the technologies being propagated in rural areas are urban-based and biased. They trickle down to rural areas.

2.) Rural population is not composed of subhuman beings.Their needs and aspirations are similar to those living in urban areas. Technology development should take place keeping these aspirations in view.

3.) Today most of the technology development that takes place for rural areas is carried out with an aim to keep it simple so that the devices can be made in rural areas itself. This is a peculiar mindset of technology developers.

4.) Poorer sections of rural population, it is asking too much to have them make their own chulhas,bullock carts and their own fram not much knowledge any other. At least nobody in urban areas asks consumers to make their own scooters or cooking stoves.

5.) In rural area children are eager to learn new things but lack of knowledge in english and not aware of new technology.

Possible Solutions

1.) Supermarkets in one shot have changed the perception of rural people and have created demand for better quality goods. The local bania shop could have been enough to take care of the needs but these supermarkets have created demand. In doing so they have helped in upgrading the life style of a certain section of rural population.

2.) Once the industry linkage is established, then automatically the whole machinery of consumer demand creation comes into play. This includes high volume production, good quality products, media advertising, sales outlets and after sales service. No technology has successfully reached the masses without the above attributes and rural technology should follow the same evolutionary process.

3.) Rural technology development and propagation should be a consortium project (An association of companies for some definite purpose). The members of such consortia will include industry, grass root NGOs, researchers and workers. With industry in the picture right from the beginning, there is a scope for ensuring better sales efforts.

4.) The spread of rural technologies will be facilitated if they also are employment generators.

5.) High-tech agrobased industries can provide a possible solution. These industries will be in the areas of food processing, energy production (electricity producing plants running on biomass and ethanol production) and production of raw materials for chemical industries.

6.) Shown that in rural areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra all round development takes place right from agriculture development to consumer items growth to increased employment around them.