India’s Perspective of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Social Development

Abstract

There is imperative need to understand the role of ICTs for the socioeconomic development in 21st century. Information is a vital resource for the national development and ensuring competent national welfare. This information have to be systematically collected, organized and arranged  in an order that can be retrieved for the future exigencies. Information is a social resource and it is a social right to the common people. Social development is encompassed with the development of the other sectors like education, agriculture, industry, merchandise and technology etc. The concept of an “Information Technology” is responsible for changing the world in the new millennium in order to bring the radical development in the society. Information access and utilization by the society is playing a major role in enhancing the quality of life of the citizens. Information flows, communications and coordinator mechanisms are being digitalized in many sectors of the society. In the era of globalization and economic liberalization
India like many developing countries has embarked seriously on the
information technology as a pillar to compete globally. Recent studies in
Information and Communication, Technology (ICT) have changed the
possibilities of human interaction and communication in an unprecedented manner and the role of ICT in the rapid growth of economic transactions over the past two decades, geographically as well as monetarily, merit mention here. ICT has exponentially increased the speed of business for commercial interactions and is primarily responsible for rendering global operations of corporations and their management not just possible but feasible and profitable. Friedman (2000) calls the changes in communication technology the “Democratization of Technology” which has been made possible as a result of several innovations that came together in 1980s involving computerization, Telecommunication, miniaturization, compression
technology and digitization. In India, the emerging technical infrastructure makes possible a new level of deepening, widening and acceleration in global economic integration Multinational Corporation are decentralizing operations and jobs around the control over decentralized operations. The main paper highlights the significance in using ITC as a tool to bring in both social and economic changes. An illustration showing how ICT through Dr.M.S.Swaminathan Foundation in India has been a success case. A case of this magnitude can be replicated in the Remote spatial areas of Africa.

Key Words: communication technology, networking, ICT, social messaging, social development