(IGP) Special Current Affairs Material for IAS (Pre) 2013 - PIB "Topic : Bridging Rural-Urban Divide Through ICT for Better Life in Rural Communities"

(IGP) Special Current Affairs Material for IAS (Pre) 2013

Chapter: Gist of Press Information Bureau Articles

Topic: Bridging Rural-Urban Divide Through ICT for Better Life in Rural Communities

Q.  Millennium Development Goals (MDG)?

The UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), from 20-22 September 2010, concluded with the adoption of a global action plan to achieve the eight anti-poverty goals by the 2015.The eight goals agreed to by the members are to:

  • Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger,
  • Achieve universal primary education,
  • Promote gender equality and empower women,
  • Reduce child mortality,
  • Improve maternal health,
  • Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
  • Ensure environmental sustainability & develop a global partnership for development.
  • Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are part of MDG and have an impact on other MDGs.

Q. How use of ICT can assist in achieving MDGs?

According to UN availability of broadband is important for making important applications available to the population. Examples below show as to how ICT can assist in achieving other MDGs:

  • Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger: By increasing access to market information and reducing transaction costs for poor farmers and traders.

  • Achieve universal primary education: By increasing supply of trained teachers through ICT enhanced distance training.

  • Promote gender equality and empower women: By delivering educational and literacy programme specifically targeted towards poor women using appropriate technologies.

  • Reduce child mortality: By increasing access of rural care givers to specialist support and remote diagnosis.

  • Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases: By increasing monitoring and information sharing on disease and famine.

  • Ensure environmental sustainability: By remote sensing technologies and communications networks which ensure more effective monitoring, resource management, mitigation of environmental risks.

Q. What is Universal Services Ob ligation Fun d (USOF)?

Government created the Universal Service Obligation Fund in 2002. The main objective of creation of the fund was to support the telecom service providers through subsidy in rolling out the telecom services in the non-remunerative rural and remote areas of the country.

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