As hard as it is to believe, the impact of information technology is far greater in rural areas than in cities, says a survey on e-governance project by management and ICT consultancy firm Skoch.
The survey, which was conducted over the period of two years covering 37 e-governance projects, was released on Tuesday at the Skoch Ninth Annual Summit in New Delhi.
Speaking at the summit, Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar invited more private sector participation in the government's ongoing rural business hub programme.
He said around 30 MoUs have already been signed between the public and private sector and panchayati raj institutions to generate employment in rural areas covering sectors like bio-diesel, power generation and fruit processing.
The MoUs have so far been signed with farmers of Haryana, Karnataka and Uttaranchal.
The rural business hub programme brokers partnership between the public and private sectors and panchayati raj institutions to initiate commercial activities in the rural areas for economic benefits.
Aiyar also gave away the Skoch Challenger Award 2006 for best practices in area of information and communication technology for socio-economic development in the country.
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