Women in Agriculture

Lesson 37 : National Policy on Technology for Rural Areas

Objectives of the National Policy on Technology for Rural Areas

The Policy aims to introduce, innovate, promote, disseminate and market technologies for rural areas, especially for the disadvantaged sections, to improve their quality of life. Existing technologies which are lab tested and validated to be viable, but are neither promoted by any extension agencies in the Governmental and Non Governmental Sector would be supported through the Policy. Technologies that are urgently required in rural areas, but have not yet been identified, adapted or researched will be identified on the basis of the needs assessment, promoted and marketed.

The Objectives of the Policy are as follows:

1. Developing need based technology packages for rural areas for improving the quality of life of the people, according to the socio economic and geographical conditions of that particular community.
2. Identifying a holistic package of technologies that addresses the day to day needs of the people as well as augments their standard of living in terms of health, nutrition, education, livelihoods and infrastructural facilities, and provides a value addition to their livelihoods both in the farm and non farm sectors.
3. Liberating the rural poor from the cycle of poverty through acquisition of adequate marketable skills by technological intervention and improved tools, machines or implements that can translate into higher income generation and improvement in the quality of life.
4. Establishing a network of Universities, Science and Technology Institutions, NGOs, development practitioners, private industry and corporate houses and other stakeholders to efficiently collect available resources and disseminate and transfer appropriate and relevant need based technologies meant for improving the quality of life of the rural populace.
5. Establishing partnerships with the Private Sector for production and marketing of technologies for rural areas to enable them to be affordable to the Rural Poor.
6. Creating an enabling environment for introduction and absorption of technology that is both demand and supply driven in order to address the collective technology needs of rural people, impacting the health, skills, earning capacity and general standards of living of the rural people.
7. Creating a reliable data base of innovation and success stories in the field of technology for rural areas.
8. Conducting needs assessment, research studies, surveys, evaluations, impact studies, training and workshops in the field of technology for rural areas.

Implementation and Monitoring

The National Policy on Technology for Rural Areas will be followed by a National Plan of Action with quantifiable objectives for Technologies in Rural Areas and supported by adequate funding.

At the National Level, the Plan will be monitored periodically by an Inter Ministerial Council headed by Minister of Rural Development. The members of the Monitoring Committee would comprise representatives from Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Non Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), Ministry of Environment and Forest, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

At the State Level, the Departments of Rural Development and Science and Technology could be sensitized to place greater emphasis on Technology for Rural Areas. A Committee headed by Minister of Rural Development, State and the State Departments for Agriculture, Non Conventional Energy Sources, Environment and Forestry, Commerce and Industry would be constituted to implement the Policy and Plan of Action in the States.

Technology for Rural Areas has to percolate to the grass roots to be effective and successful. Hence at the District level, a Committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner to draw up and implement the District Plan of Action will be constituted, with quantifiable targets.