"We will invest Rs 300,000 crore to set up one lakh kiosks in villages, which will provide the rural community with a host of services such as education, healthcare, agriculture, e-governance and communication (email, voice mail)," Minister of state for communications and IT Shakeel Ahmad said today at the India Economic Summit.
"The country will be looking at a social revolution when education and health facilities will reach the rural economy through broadband connections. This will catapult India to a higher growth and development trajectory," Ahmad said.
Rural kiosks are being seen as the most suitable medium for bridging the urban-rural digital divide. These kiosks have been successful in bringing some of the benefits of ICTs to the unserved rural population.
He said skill training and the creation of entrepreneurs would help address the issue of educated unemployment in the country. About 325 cities have been provided wireless connectivity from the Universal Services Obligation fund.
India was growing at a stable and sustained rate of eight per cent, Ahmad said, adding the skilled human resource available in the country has made India a global hub for IT.
The country demonstrated strong macroeconomic fundamentals with a low inflation rate and was looking at 10 per cent growth rate in the near future, he said.
Quelle/Source: New Kerala , 28.11.2006
