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Counter point to this is that e-commerce enables the farmers to obviate the need for infrastructure by bridging the communication and information gap. E-commerce can also help make use of Public health centers in a more efficient manner and can help in online training and education too only if worked on and supported whole heartedly.

This paper, thus, tries to answer the question: -
"Let IT remain the staple for academics and professionals. What will it mean for people in the thousands of miserable villages in this nation?"

Introduction

The success of India's burgeoning IT industry with a 23.1% CAGR^a would be incomplete if the benefits of the phenomenal IT revolution cannot reach the rural poor who need it the most.

Using e-commerce to fuel the rural growth in India is both desirable and required. But before delving into what e-commerce has to offer we need to identify the problem areas of the rural, the growth indicators in the case of rural communities and find the strategic fit between the e-commerce initiatives and the problem alleviation in these areas.

Problems in the Rural Areas

Lack of employment emerges as the over-riding concern of the poor along with the lack of irrigation water which makes conditions non-conducive for cultivating water-intensive crops. Expenditure on health is a common impediment to amass surplus; In large families particularly, the expenditure per month in treating diseases is extremely high, and often beyond the reach of the poor. The government establishments for health services delivery are usually in poor shape in most of the villages. Other pressing problems include illiteracy along with lack of good infrastructure - roads, drainage, electricity, lack of capital, lack of government schemes, lack of shops, etc.

a Source: Banknet India Portal http://www.banknetindia.com/banking/idc04.htm

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* Contributed by: -
Shruti Rustagi,
Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.