Technology: Government Schemes Aimed At Helping Rural India The onset of digitisation has accelerated the pace of rural development and technological advancements allow rural areas to tap into new markets

The Indian technology sector is growing fast and is set to grow 8.4 per cent in FY2023 to hit $245 billion in size, said a Nasscom report. Technology penetration in India is fast expanding into rural pockets as well. On the occasion of National Technology Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO-India) and dedicated scientific projects worth over INR 5800 crore.

While development of our rural regions has always been a priority, the onset of digitisation has accelerated the pace of rural development. Technological advancements allow rural areas to tap into new markets and even aid in improving the entrepreneurial business environment. Here is a list of government schemes for enhancing technology reach in rural India.

The Indian technology sector is growing fast and is set to grow 8.4 per cent in FY2023 to hit $245 billion in size, said a Nasscom report. Technology penetration in India is fast expanding into rural pockets as well. On the occasion of National Technology Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO-India) and dedicated scientific projects worth over INR 5800 crore.

While development of rural regions has always been a priority, the onset of digitisation has accelerated the pace of rural development. Technological advancements allow rural areas to tap into new markets and even aid in improving the entrepreneurial business environment. Here is a list of government schemes for enhancing technology reach in rural India

Technological Advancement for Rural Areas (TARA): This scheme under the Skill Enhancement Education & Development Program (SEED) provides long-term core support to science-based voluntary organizations and field institutions in rural and other disadvantaged areas to promote them as "S&T Incubators" and "Active Field Laboratories" to work and provide technological solutions.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission: The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) aims to develop the infrastructure necessary to support India's integrated digital healthcare infrastructure. It is based on the use of digital highways to bridge the distance between diverse players in the healthcare industry.

Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA): A digitally secure ABHA permits health data access and sharing with participating healthcare providers and payers. Under this people are identified, authenticated and their health records are threaded across many systems and stakeholders (with their informed consent).

E-Shram: e-Shram is a platform designed by the ministry of labor and employment to benefit unorganized workers who are not Employees' State Insurance (EPFO) or Employees' State Insurance (ESIC) members.

National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN): All state capitals, districts, and headquarters have OFC connectivity down to the block level. The country's 2,50,000-gram panchayats would be linked and this will be done by using existing Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) fibres (BSNL, Railtel, and Power Grid) and laying new fibre to connect to gram panchayats.

Common Service Centres (CSC): The CSC programme is one of the Digital India Programme's mission mode projects which serves as the access points for essential public utility services, social welfare programmes, healthcare, finance, education, agriculture services and a variety of business-to-consumer (B2C) services to citizens living in rural and distant areas of the country.

Digital India Programme: Digital India is aimed to transform the country into a knowledge-based economy, it covers three essential areas: digital infrastructure as a utility for all citizens, governance and on-demand services, and citizen empowerment through digital technology.

Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP): A central sector scheme aimed at leveraging existing commonalities in land records to develop an appropriate Integrated Land Information Management System (ILIMS). Individual states can also add state-specific requirements as deemed necessary.